Mealtime Mama: Pesto makes a perfect summertime garnish

By Lyndi Fultz, nwafoodie

Ahhhh… summer has kicked into high gear here in beautiful Northwest Arkansas:  fireflies, humidity, kids cannon-balling in the pool, and grills are firing up with their seductive sizzles. Summertime is grilling, don’t you think?

Whether or not you wield the spatula in your backyard or you pass the task off to someone else, grilling virtually babysits itself. That’s the easy part of dinner.  Now you have to decide what side dish is the best grilling accompaniment… and on that can be delivered with ease.

May I suggest you always have a little pesto within reach?  Pesto makes a perfect summertime garnish.

• It is a crowd-pleaser
• It is inexpensive when you make it yourself
• It tastes heavenly on meat, carbs, or veggies!

You may be thinking, “Pesto is expensive if you don’t have a garden.”  No problem!  Let someone else grow it for you.  Go on a basil hunt at your local farmer’s market.  Here’s a booth at the Bentonville Farmer’s market where basil was just $2 a bunch. You can also pop into your nearest local Asian grocer and buy basil for a fraction of that cost. (Ozark Natural Foods is also a great place to find it!)

Okay, you’re sold.  You may now be thinking, “But how do I make pesto? Isn’t it hard?”

It’s easy!

PESTO 101

Ingredients

4 cups basil leaves

4 teaspoons of minced garlic

2 tbsp roughly chopped pine nuts (or pistachios)

4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, more as needed to meet desired consistency

salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Place basil in a gallon size Ziploc bag.  Pound the bag with meat tenderizer (smooth side) or vigorously massage the basil via the bag.  Doing this will release the essential oils and enhance the fragrance of the basil.

2. Blend everything with a tablespoon of in a blender.

3. Slowly add the remaining oil to the blender.

4. If pesto is too thick, add more oil.  Taste it – what does it need?  Yep, salt and pepper!

You will have plenty of pesto to toss in angel hair pasta and brush on fresh garden tomatoes with plenty to spare.  Instead of worrying that the pesto will go to waste or sour before you use it again, all you have to do is freeze it for future use.  I shared on nwafoodie.com how to do just that.

There you have it!  A perfect summer garnish that can be used boundless ways beyond the pasta dish.

I am always curious to hear about the creativity of folks — what is YOUR favorite way to use pesto?

Happy summer!

Lyndi

About Lyndi: “I started the nwafoodie blog because I am discovering crazy-good ingredients, gadgets, food tips, and sources that keep me in-the-foodie-know and I thought… why keep it to myself? Eat well, my friends. Eat well.” Visit at www.nwafoodie.blogspot.com