So many uses for Pesto!

Pesto is one of those necessary recipes that everyone needs to have. And this recipe is also vegan. Plus, it can be frozen for a quick dinner.

It’s wonderful to mix into pasta or to add another level of flavor to your food. Or mix it into your vegan mayo for a great sandwich spread. Also, it gives a depth of character mixed into your vegan ricotta recipes. And my favorite way to indulge my pesto urges is in Pesto Pasta Primavera.

I usually just chop up some carrots, some broccoli, and whatever other veggies I have on hand. Maybe I’ll use brussel sprouts, red peppers, or zucchini. Then I roast those in the oven while boiling penne or farfalle pasta on the stove. Of course, any type of pasta will do!

Sometimes I might sauté onions and mushrooms in a skillet, as well! Then I take out my freezer stash of the green goodness, mix in a couple of tablespoons of the pasta cooking water, and mix that into my cooked pasta.

Add that to your dinner plate surrounded with all the veggies and you too can enjoy an easy dinner of Pesto Pasta Primavera!

Pesto all year!

There’s just something about pesto that makes it feel like a spring or summer day. Maybe it’s the bright green color or perhaps it’s the basil scent. But it’s great not only to eat this when basil is abundant in the spring and summer months but also when all the leaves are off the trees and the grass has turned to brown.

The long dark cold days of winter need a burst of vivid green! And we need to taste and smell the aroma of plants long past gone. So thank you, freezer, for bringing me a connection to the seasons that I miss when they’re gone (aka summer), by keeping my pesto for me!  And thank you, blender, for helping me mix this little taste of plant life happiness into my favorite green sauce whenever I want. So three cheers for Posh Pesto! Wait, actually, four cheers!! One for each season of the year to eat this treat! Oh yeah.

Oh the Possibilities

I’ve read many an article about this green sauce. (Yeah, I sound like a pesto-nerd, I know) But the point is, there are plenty of possibilities! According to Cooks Illustrated, bruising the basil leaves, either with a mortar and pestle or with a rolling pin inside of a gallon plastic bag, imparts a bigger basil taste. Tried this and I’m not sure I tasted the difference. Also, I think the bruising contributed to a less green outcome. Probably won’t do this tip again! (And why the gallon plastic bag, anyway?)

Cook’s Illustrated also recommends blanching the basil leaves to preserve the bright green color. They say 30 seconds in boiling water, then remove and dry. Another site recommends only 5 seconds in boiling water, then plunging into an ice water bath. Haven’t tried this one as one of the reviewers said the flavor was lost.

Ina Garten (fellow Hamptonite!)’s tip to store basil is to rinse the basil leaves in water, spin them dry, then store them in a plastic bag with a damp paper towel in the fridge to help them stay green for several days.

I’ve also heard, to store basil, treat it like a flower by placing it in a jar of water and covering it with a plastic bag over the top to act as a greenhouse effect.

Posh Pesto Please!

There is a bundle of basil advice and a plethora of pesto possibilities swirling around out there so we hope you give our recipe a try. And let us know how it goes!

Best basil wishes for all your pesto pursuits!

It sits atop our Elegant Eggplant Parmesan 

we often add it to our Lovely Luscious Vegan Lasagna

and it gives a nice addition to the flavor of Ricotta Replica, too!

And how about a little Posh Pesto mixed into our Pilaf recipe?! Yum!

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