THE REASON GOD MADE BASIL
WEEKNIGHT KITCHEN: "Pasta with Pesto" (The Splendid Table, July 22, 2003, MPR)
Adapted from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider (Artisan, 2001).
Serves 4
8 ounces pasta
1/2 cup pesto sauce (recipe follows)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup minced fresh herbs (flat-leaf parsley, chives, or basil), if desired
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt well. Add pasta and cook until al dente (tender but still slightly firm to the bite). Using a measuring cup, scoop out about 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Drain the pasta, return to the pot, and set over high heat. Add about 1/2 cup pesto and then add enough of the reserved cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time as you toss the pasta, until it is coated with the pesto. Season generously with pepper, add salt if necessary, and toss with 1/4 cup minced fresh herbs. Pass 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese at the table.
MORTAR-MADE PSETO SAUCE:
2 large bunches of small-leafed basil
1 garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
3 tablespoons Italian pine nuts (pignoli)
3 tablespoons finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/4 cup fruity extra-virgin olive oil
Remove enough of the smallest and most tender basil leaves to make 4 cups loosely packed. If the leaves are gritty, wash them gently in several changes of water and dry them well in a salad spinner.
Cut the garlic clove lengthwise in half and remove the green sprout in the center, if any. In a large heavy mortar, combine the garlic and salt and crush to a paste. Gradually add the basil and, using a circular stirring motion, grind the leaves until they are almost a paste.
Add the pine nuts and continue grinding the mixture against the sides and bottom of the mortar until it is a coarse puree. Work in the cheese; the mixture should have the texture of a thick paste. Dribble in the olive oil a little at a time, using the same circular motion, until the pesto is creamy. Adjust the salt if necessary.
The pesto is best when freshly made, but it can be refrigerated, with a sheet of plastic wrap pressed directly against the surface, for up to 3 days.
Posted by Orrin Judd at July 22, 2003 6:23 PM
