Pesto Obsession

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I am going to make pesto tomorrow and I am literally jumping out of my seat with excitement; I just can't wait to make it.

I'm not sure when my taste buds got turned on to pesto, but all of a sudden, I must have pesto on bread with extra parmesan cheese... all the time. I feel mature when I eat basil, adult, sophisticated. Like a foodie. But no matter how I feel... it's simply delicious. Love the stuff. Can't wait to eat it. Can't wait to make it. Must... have... it.... YUM!

While it is always a delight when my favorite restaurant has pesto all made up and ready to scoop onto ready and waiting bruschetta, I think there are several reasons in particular I like to make pesto at home:

1. I get to use my pink Kitchenaid Food Processor. Need I say more? My day is always complete when I get to use my pink Kitchenaid appliances.

2. I get to use Fresh Basil. There were many, many years that we could not get fresh leaf basil here in India. But now we can get it relatively regularly, so I feel the need to exploit this ability.

3. I get to use Pine Nuts. The most fun of all the nuts. Again, a relative newcomer to the Indian supermarket, I snatch them up whenever I find them and toss them in to salads or couscous or (my latest obsession) quinoa or... as in the case of tomorrow... pesto.

4. I got to buy a baguette from Bread Talk. Usually my friend Barbie is the only one frequenting the Bread Talk kiosk at Q-Mart. However, today I sauntered over there to find they had hot, fresh baguettes ready for me to purchase, slice up, rub with garlic and a little olive oil and spoon on the fresh pesto. I can hardly wait.

So as you can see, I'm completely obsessed with pesto.

In case you want to join me in implementing this obsession, I'll list the recipe for Basil/Pine Nut pesto below. There are, of course, a wide variety of ways / alternatives to make pesto (to which my friend Pat Keener and his mentor Alton Brown can proudly testify). However, I'll stick to the classic preparation tomorrow to keep it simple... and since I found all the ingredients. So please join me and let's enjoy together!

~lk

BASIL PESTO - from "Martha Stewart's Cooking School"

3 garlic cloves, peeled (and blanched, if desired)
2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted, if desired)
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/3 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1/2 cup olive oil

Process together basil, garlic, pine nuts and salt until the basil is pulverized and the pine nuts and garlic are pasty. Add the cheese and incorporate. Pour the oil in a slow steady stream and mix until combined. Serve immediately or cover with a layer of oil and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to three days.

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