Kevin’s P.B.S. Pesto

PESTO
This looks sinfully good!  Might give it a try one of these days.

FOR THE SAKE OF EXPERIMENTATION, last weekend

I grabbed some parsley, basil, and sage from my garden, 

and pureed them together with pine nuts, Parmesan,

garlic and olive oil.  In other words, I made a pesto.

A pesto that was fabulously-fragrant. A pesto that was

layered with flavor. A pesto that was so deliciously-delicious

that after just one taste, I nearly passed out with pleasure.

I christened this bliss “P.B.S. Pesto” in honor of the herbs

it contains:

Parsley. I grow the flat-leaved, or “Italian” variety,

because it is more peppery than the curly-leaved type.

Sage. I grow the common-type. It has a wonderful,

smokey taste.

P.B.S. Pesto

Ingredients for about 1 cup of sauce

Parsley and Basil —

2 cups of each, roughly chopped and lightly pressed down Sage

10 large leaves, roughly chopped

2 large cloves of garlic, smashed 1/4 cup Pine Nuts

1 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Olive oil – enough to achieve the desired consistency Salt to taste

Rinse, dry, and roughly chop the parsley, basil and sage.

The parsley and basil should measure  2 cups or more

when roughly chopped and lightly pressed down.

Toss the herbs into the work-bowl of a food processor…

And give them a 5-second spin, just to achieve a coarse puree.

Now add 2 cloves of smashed garlic…

And 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) of pine nuts. Pine nuts are incredibly expensive. And no wonder! These soft, buttery seeds are plucked from the cones of pine trees. Slivered almonds, in my experience, make a fine substitute for pricey pine nuts.

Add one cup of Parmesan cheese.

Now turn the machine on, and slowly pour olive oil through the feed-tube. How much oil? Well, that depends on the consistency you desire. Desire a thick dipping-sauce? Use approximately 1/3 cup of olive oil. Desire a thin sauce for pouring over pasta? Use more oil. Desire a man with 6-pack abs and thighs that could crack a walnut? You’re on the wrong website, baby.

If necessary, turn the machine off and scrape down the bowl with a green spatula. The pesto is complete when the fibrous strands of the herbs are no longer visible.

Oh. Process in some kosher salt, too.  I used slightly less than one 1/4 teaspoon for my sauce.

I can tell you this P.B.S. Pesto is fab-u-licious on a toasted round of Pain de Mie.

It’s equally delicious on a gluten-free cracker.

It takes sauteed chicken breasts to a whole new level of awesomeness…

And you haven’t lived until you’ve tried the sauce on linguine.

For easy reference, here’s a copy-and-paste version

of the above deliciousness:

P.B.S. Pesto
Kevin Lee Jacobs, A Garden for the House
Ingredients for about 1 cup of sauce 

Parsle and Basil — 

— 2 cups of each, when roughly chopped and lightly pressed down Sage

— 10 large leaves, roughly chopped 2 large cloves of garlic, smashed 1/4 cup Pine Nuts

— 1 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese Olive oil – enough to achieve the desired consistency Salt to taste  

   1. Rinse, dry, and roughly chop the herbs. 

   2. Toss the herbs in the work bowl of a food processor; coarsely puree.

   3. Add the garlic, pine nuts and cheese to the herb mixture; coarsely puree.

   4. With the machine running, slowly add olive oil to desired consistency.

       Scrape the machine down with a rubber spatula as necessary.

   5. Add salt to taste; mix thoroughly. Pureeing is complete when no fibrous  strands of herbs are visible. As a thick sauce, P.B.S. Pesto makes a terrific dip for crackers, and a blissful topping for grilled or sautéed chicken or fish. Thinned out with extra olive oil, it is magnificent with pasta.