Pesto and Pattypans
If it’s August, it must be pesto processing time. What better way to use garden-fresh basil than to make a large batch of pesto for the freezer?
Garden-fresh basil
That's exactly what we did when I taught the community cooking class at the Chubby Muffin on pesto and other ways of preserving summer herbs. Everyone took home a container of pesto for the freezer, a jar of fresh Herbes de Provence ground together with Celtic sea salt, and a bottle of vinegar infused with fresh herbs of their choice. The essential oils from the herbs, which impart both their flavors and medicinal properties, filled the air with their wonderful fragrances.
Hoff makes a personalized batch of pesto in the Old North End
Even though we were working off of a recipe, nobody’s pesto turned out like any others, as people happily modified the flavors to suit their palettes. Some differences were:
Amount of garlic
Amount of olive oil
Nuts/no nuts
Lemon juice/no lemon juice
Coarsely/finely blended
With other herbs/pure basil
With cheese/without cheese
Watching each other take turns using the food processor, we realized how much of making a pesto is a matter of preference. It was also interesting to reflect on what MY preferences are: Little garlic, little olive oil (I like to add it to the hot pasta), lots of nuts, a splash of lemon juice, coarsely blended (I like to see the nuts), and with lots of parsley if I have it. Knowing these things, I can make a perfect batch of pesto every time, even if it never turns out the same way twice!
And now for what to do with the pesto: I was delighted to go to a potluck last night and eat little pattypan squashes, sliced on the horizontal and roasted, then topped with pesto and cherry tomatoes. With their golden edges and round shape, they looked like little pizzas. Here’s an approximation of what they looked like that I found on the web, but of course these were roasted and had pesto on top, not tomato sauce. So cute! I will have to put my stash of frozen pesto to use to make these myself.
Roasted Pattypan Squash with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes
A few pattypan squashes
Olive oil
Salt
Some pesto
A handful of cherry or sungold tomatoes
A little grated Romano or other hard cheese
Slice pattypan squashes on the horizontal. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and place in a single layer on two baking pans. Roast at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until they start to get golden-brown and a little caramelized around the edges. Remove from the oven and spread each squash with a little pesto and a few cherry tomatoes, sliced in half. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and serve warm or at room temperature.
Garden-fresh basil
That's exactly what we did when I taught the community cooking class at the Chubby Muffin on pesto and other ways of preserving summer herbs. Everyone took home a container of pesto for the freezer, a jar of fresh Herbes de Provence ground together with Celtic sea salt, and a bottle of vinegar infused with fresh herbs of their choice. The essential oils from the herbs, which impart both their flavors and medicinal properties, filled the air with their wonderful fragrances.
Hoff makes a personalized batch of pesto in the Old North End
Even though we were working off of a recipe, nobody’s pesto turned out like any others, as people happily modified the flavors to suit their palettes. Some differences were:
Amount of garlic
Amount of olive oil
Nuts/no nuts
Lemon juice/no lemon juice
Coarsely/finely blended
With other herbs/pure basil
With cheese/without cheese
Watching each other take turns using the food processor, we realized how much of making a pesto is a matter of preference. It was also interesting to reflect on what MY preferences are: Little garlic, little olive oil (I like to add it to the hot pasta), lots of nuts, a splash of lemon juice, coarsely blended (I like to see the nuts), and with lots of parsley if I have it. Knowing these things, I can make a perfect batch of pesto every time, even if it never turns out the same way twice!
And now for what to do with the pesto: I was delighted to go to a potluck last night and eat little pattypan squashes, sliced on the horizontal and roasted, then topped with pesto and cherry tomatoes. With their golden edges and round shape, they looked like little pizzas. Here’s an approximation of what they looked like that I found on the web, but of course these were roasted and had pesto on top, not tomato sauce. So cute! I will have to put my stash of frozen pesto to use to make these myself.
Roasted Pattypan Squash with Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes
A few pattypan squashes
Olive oil
Salt
Some pesto
A handful of cherry or sungold tomatoes
A little grated Romano or other hard cheese
Slice pattypan squashes on the horizontal. Drizzle with olive oil and salt and place in a single layer on two baking pans. Roast at 375 for about 30 minutes, or until they start to get golden-brown and a little caramelized around the edges. Remove from the oven and spread each squash with a little pesto and a few cherry tomatoes, sliced in half. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and serve warm or at room temperature.