Basil Pesto

In the middle of summer, when basil is growing waist high, I start making batch upon batch of basil pesto. I remember fondly standing over the sink at Caffé Arti in Italy, cleaning bags of basil, and the entire room would smell green and sweet. Instead of a mortar and pestle, we used a meat grinder and randomly dropped in chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese with handfuls of toasted pine nuts together with basil leaves and olive oil. The final product was a perfect pesto, drenched in olive oil, coarse and verdant.

[MAKES 2¼ CUPS PESTO]

2 packed cups fresh basil leaves (about 3.5 ounces)

¼ pound Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, roughly chopped or coarsely grated (about 1 cup grated)

¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped

1½ teaspoons coarse salt

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Whether you are using a meat grinder, mortar and pestle, or food processor the technique is similar. Combine the basil, cheese, pine nuts, garlic, and salt, and grind together. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The pesto should have a nice coarse texture. Topped with olive oil and stored in an airtight container, the pesto will last for a week or two in the fridge.

RECIPE NOTE

Cleaning Basil and Other Leafy Herbs

To wash basil, fill a large bowl or a clean sink with cold water and tumble in the basil leaves. Agitate them in the water so that any dirt clinging to them falls to the bottom of the water. Gently lift the leaves out, leaving the sand on the bottom, draining the water and making sure any dirt goes with it. Fill the bowl or sink once again with clean cold water, and repeat the process. If the basil is especially dirty, do it a third and final time. Run the leaves through a salad spinner and then lay them out on paper towels to dry. This method works with any leafy herbs and all lettuces.

 

Herbes de Provence

I use this traditional French mix of dried herbs from Provence in so much of my cooking. While you can buy it in jars at the store, I like to make my own in order to take advantage of the abundance of fresh herbs during the summer. I simply hang them in a dry corner of the kitchen and then, once they’re nice and dry, I pull the herbs off their stems, crush them, and put them in a jar that I keep by my stove where they soon find their way on top of Croque-Monsieurs (here), into pots of Coq au Vin (here), into Ratatouille (here), and more. Herbes de Provence brighten all grilled and roasted meats, fish, and vegetable dishes. Any leftovers from a chicken that has been rubbed with olive oil and herbes de Provence and roasted makes the best chicken salad in the world. Simply shred it, skin and all, and mix it with a good amount of Mayonnaise (here).

[MAKES AS MUCH AS YOU LIKE]

I use equal parts of the following in my mixture:

Dried savory

Dried thyme

Dried rosemary

Dried lavender

Dried basil

Dried marjoram

Dried sage

Fennel seeds

Mix the herbs together and store in a sealed jar in a cool, dark place.

 

Pâté Spice

This fragrant combination of spices is essential for both duck rillettes (here) and Pâté de Campagne (here). Even if you don’t make either of those dishes often, the spice mixture can be stirred into hot milk with honey for a variation on Staff Masala Chai (here), or incorporated into roast meats, cake batters, or anything else that would welcome the warming flavors.

[MAKES 2 TABLESPOONS SPICE MIX;EASILY MULTIPLIED]

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon dried ginger

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Stir everything together and store in a sealed jar in a cool, dark place.