Comments on: Pesto: A Kat’s Favorite Dish

By: Barbara

Barbara — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:56:36 +0000

Most of the time the measurement by weight wouldn’t work–not that many people have kitchen scales that are sensitive enough to less than an ounce of weight.

I usually tightly pack the basil leaves when I measure them.

By: Laurel

Laurel — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 19:32:06 +0000

One thing that has always puzzled me about pesto recipes is the measurement of the leaves. The leaves are packed, right, but how much? You can lightly pack or really stuff them in there, and there can be quite a difference in amount of leaves, depending. Hmm–how about measurement by weight? (Or are basil leaves too light to measure accurately that way, either?)

(I’ve never had a great sense for ingredient proportions, so the measurements are really important to me.)

By: alexys

alexys — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 22:37:28 +0000

Diane, my yard won’t grow basil either, do for Christmas by family bought us an aero garden! It works so well, and I buy the 5 pack of seeds that include 5 different varieties of basil. I make pesto all the time and also love having the extra basil because I throw it in eveything, especially home made tomato sauce. It grows so high I have to keep cutting it down and keeping it in a glass of water, otherwise it burns at the top from being too close to the bulbs. Anyway give it a try, you won’t regret it!

By: Neohippie

Neohippie — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:30:00 +0000

I love pesto! I still have some in my freezer from last year when my CSA farmer had an abundance of basil and gave me a couple of paper grocery bags full!

I also like to experient with making pesto from other herbs, even though basil is awesome. A good cold-season alternative is to make pesto with arugula. Doesn’t taste the same, of course, but it is yummy. The nutty taste of the arugula goes great with the other ingredients, and it stays more bright green than basil pesto does.

By: De in D.C.

De in D.C. — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 03:39:48 +0000

My son is almost 9 and still loves pesto (and has since he was Kat’s age). I usually hide bits of other green vegetables in it when I’m blending the basil, such as spinach and occasionally green beans or zucchini. By the time the nuts and cheese are stirred in, the texture difference is unnoticeable. I don’t make pesto as often as I should, but do make a big batch at the end of the season right before the first frost when I rip all my plants out. Then I store it in the freezer in plastic containers topped with oil (with the cheese omitted), to try and keep the taste of summer going through the lonely winter months.