When serving this over pasta, I add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper and a squeeze of lemon or lime. Of course, shredded cheese (such as Parmesan Reggiano, and, oddly enough, sharp English cheddar) is a frequent partner here with pasta; if I don’t add cheese, I just add a bit of sea salt.

Other than pasta, I’ve been known to put pesto on fish. And sandwiches, especially those with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pine nuts; try out other nuts, such as pistachios
• 2 large bunches of basil
• 1/2 bunch of Italian (flat leaf) parsley
• cloves from 4 heads of garlic, papery skins removed
• a bottle of extra virgin olive oil; you’ll probably end up using less than 1 cup

Method

1. Roast the pine nuts at 400F degrees until lightly golden and aromatic, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Wash and remove the stems from the basil and parsley. I dry them off in a salad spinner afterwards.
3. Place the garlic, nuts and as much of the greenery that will loosely fit into a food processor or blender.
4. Pour in about a 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Pulse to blend, stopping to scrape down the sides of the processor.
5. Add more leaves, and oil as needed. Blend the items to desired: I prefer a somewhat roughish pesto, not too liquidy and smooth, but not too pasty either.
6. Store the pesto in ice cube trays, topped with a thin layer of olive oil. I freeze them, then pop them out and defrost as needed. One cube works well in pasta for 1 or 2 persons.

This recipe would serve two people. Boiled peas, or sautéed zucchini, nicely complements this dish.

Ingredients

• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons milk and/or crème fraîche
• salt for pasta water
• 1/2 cup shallots, finely diced
• 2 to 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• freshly grounded pepper, to taste
• 1 to 2 ounces strong flavored cheese, shredded
• 5 to 6 ounces pasta, such as spaghetti, linguini or rotelle

Method

1. In the serving bowl, whisk the egg and milk. Set aside.
2. Start the water to boil for the pasta. Add salt to the water.
3. Sauté the shallots and garlic in a saucepan over high heat until golden brown. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.
4. Start cooking the pasta once the water is boiling.
5. When there’s only a minute or two remaining for the pasta, add the shallots to the egg mixture in the serving bowl. The shallots should still be warm, but not hot enough to curdle the egg. Stir in the cheese.
6. When the pasta is al dente, drain and quickly put into the serving bowl. Toss well; the heat should melt the cheese and cook the egg. Serve immediately.

Here are some ingredient ideas:

• While heating the stock, throw in about an ounce of dried porcini mushrooms. After the mushrooms have reconstituted, remove and squeeze excess liquid back into the stock. Then treat the same way as the shiitake mushrooms at step 2.
• Omit the mushrooms. Instead use dry-sautéed zucchini, stirred in at step 9.
• If you want a chunky vegetable other than mushrooms or zucchini, try peas, cooked fava beans (a.k.a., broadbeans), or cooked edamame. Remember to discard the shells of such legumes, unless they’re very tender like snowpeas. Corn kernels and chopped roasted beets go well, too.
• Use 2 to 3 leeks, including the green tops, instead of onion.
• Use shallots instead of the onion or garlic.
• Instead of arugula, use baby chard, pea sprouts, pepper cress or watercress.
• Substitute another dry, full-flavored cheese, such as Fiscalini’s aged San Joaquin Gold

Ingredients

• 1 quart chicken stock
• a pinch of saffron threads
• 6 to 8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 1/3 cups Arborio or Carnaroli rice
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• salt to taste
• 4 ounces baby arugula leaves
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan Reggiano cheese

Method

1. Heat the stock and saffron in a saucepan until simmering. Keep this at a low, gentle simmer.
2. In a frying pan, dry sauté the mushrooms in the butter until browned. Set aside.
3. In a dutch oven or stock pot, heat the oil.
4. Add the onions and garlic to the dutch oven and sauté over medium-high heat until translucent.
5. Add the Arborio rice to the dutch oven and stir for a minute so that the grains are well coated.
6. Add the wine to the rice and stir until it is absorbed.
7. Add the stock, about 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, to the rice. Again, stir until the liquid is absorbed. Test the rice periodically until it is al dente —neither mushy nor gritty. This step takes about 20 to 30 minutes overall.
8. Add salt to taste, but keep in mind that the cheese adds some saltiness.
9. Stir in the mushrooms. Turn off the heat.
10. Stir in the arugula, then cheese. Serve immediately.

Don’t be deterred by the large amount of garlic. As long as it hasn’t been whizzed into a pulp, the slow cooking will give the garlic a mellow, if not somewhat creamy flavor —yes, sounds odd, but good!

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch of basil
• 6 cups fresh (preferably naturally sweet) tomatoes; if you don’t have fresh tomatoes, Muir Glen provides very good canned ones
• cloves from 1 large head of garlic
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Method

1. Remove the stems from the basil and roughly chop the leaves.
2. Briefly blanch (about 30 seconds) the tomatoes in boiling water. Peel then chop.
3. Peel and mince the garlic, but not so fine that it becomes a liquid or paste.
4. Combine the basil, tomato, garlic and olive oil in a sauce pot. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Stir occaisionally to prevent the ingredients from sticking to the pot.
5. Lower the heat and continue at a gentle simmer, uncovered.
6. Cook until thickened to desired consistency. This could take anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot over freshly made pasta.