I've also found that the two ways I like to preserve the overflow of those sweet beefsteak tomatoes are to roast them with onions and garlic (you can then just freeze the resulting goodness) or to dry them. They are almost too sweet for sauce!
Pop them in a ziploc bag or push them into a jar and freeze (I do like to freeze the ones I'm not using right away, just because if you overlook a moist bit, they will get moldy).
You can see that it's not super basily like pesto sometimes is, but it's incredibly good.
The wonderful thing about pesto is that you don't have to sweat the recipe. Start with garlic in your dry processor. Continue with the tomato, basil, pine nuts, parmesan, and olive oil in whatever proportions you happen to have handy.
You can't go wrong.
Lori says
Every Autumn, I take the starting-to-look-past-it basil and make way-too-much pesto without cheese. I freeze it in muffin tins — regular and mini — and then pop them into ziploc bags for use until we are swimming in fresh garden basil again. I never use it all, and every year I think, “Maybe I won't make pesto this year,” but then I do, because I know I'll be bereft if I don't. I hate these internal dialogs sometimes! I love the idea of adding dried tomatoes. I also oven-roast starting-to-look-past-it tomatoes and like to whiz some of those up with some of the pesto, so I get a similar effect.
Margo says
It's not possible to have enough pesto for winter at our house! We do eat it straight up with pasta (hot pasta over frozen cubes = FAST), but it's also a fabulous pizza sauce instead of tomato sauce.
Also, I've successfully stretched basil pesto before with spinach and/or parsley. I've also seen ideas for using kale, but I haven't done it myself.
shwell says
Margo, I have added raw kale to my pesto, just add in as much as you want, you can't taste it and it keeps the pesto a vibrant bright green color.
this spring I made pesto before my basil was ready using 3 cups parsley, 1 cup oregano and 1 cup mint and it is amazing.
kate says
Just yesterday my oldest called from TX to ask me about pesto, I'll have to call her back because yours looks much better!
nt12many says
Yes, I was surprised to learn that just about anything can be made into pesto; dill is one that we've tried and enjoyed. Of course, nothing beats basil! It's like summer in a jar.
Leila, you are probably more of a purist than I am but sometimes I just can't bring myself to paying for those expensive pine nuts. I used to live in New Mexico and remember picking them as a child and know that a good harvest only comes every seven years so, yes, the pine nuts people deserve the price but….
I use raw cashews in place of pine nuts. They are mild enough and blend up with the right texture (I guess because they have the right amount of oil?) and they work for us as a substitute (please don't judge me ;-).
I also will just blend the basil with oil and garlic and then freeze and add the nuts and parmesean later when I can get them at a price that doesn't give me a heart attack.
I am absolutely going to try making it with dried tomatoes!
Jill Farris ” target=”_blank”>http://www.generationalwomanhood.wordpress.com
Lisa G. says
Cashews instead of pinoli – interesting! But it probably doesn't work in cookies, I suppose. 🙂
Kristina B says
Cashews sound good as a replacement! I usually use walnuts in basil pesto, and almonds in cilantro pesto. I haven't tried dill yet though – do you use the cashews in that as well?
Ona says
Love the idea of roasting tomatoes w/ garlic & onion prior to freezing! Please share how to do that ? I've just been freezing them. You know, blanch then chill then seed &into a zip-lock.
I'm really enjoying your blog, So much info & so inspiring. Thanks for doing this !
Jenny says
Where do you get your pine nuts? We can' find any in the grocery stores around here that don't come from China. And, well, I don't trust those.
Jenny says
*can't*
shwell says
you can buy Italian pine nuts at nuts.com, they are more expensive so I only use them on specials occassions http://nuts.com/nuts/pinenuts/
Rachelle says
You can also stretch it successfully with spinach. If you don't have enough basil left to feed your group, add in some spinach to make up the difference. It's hardly noticeable. One of my friends always makes her pesto with 2/3 basil and 1/3 spinach so that she can stretch the basil further.
Martha says
Is there anything you don't make yourself?!?
I am beginning to get a reputation as a cook because of you! My own lox – my own bread – my own salad dressing – now pesto?
Thank you for giving me a good reputation.
Pursuit says
I had a weird experience with (presumably from China) pine nuts in a pesto from Frys Groceries. Having made a nice pasta using this product, i was happy to enjoy the leftovers at lunch for a further two days. Then I noticed a persistent, unpleasant, slightly metallic taste in my mouth which lingered for several days. The taste was very similar to having a sinus infection although I was certain that wasn't the cause (don't ask!). So I googled “yucky taste in mouth” and was surprised to learn of the connection. It's almost as if something from chinese pine nuts binds irreversibly to the tastebuds. As the google answer reported, it took a good 7 or 8 days to wear off. Ugh!
the table reader says
Ditto – no fun!
Catherine says
Tomatoes in the dehydrator! Why didn't I think of that! I will have to try that soon. Pine nuts can be so expensive, but I have a great recipe for pesto which uses pistachios. Totally delicious! http://catherinesrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/06/pis…
Rachel says
Walnuts are also good in pesto instead of those dreadfully expensive pine nuts. And the comment about spinach is right on. I make mine with half spinach, half basil more or less. Pesto is versatile. I love the idea of the sun dried tomatoes.
Sarah says
I like the dried tomatoes idea!
Sheryl says
To Jenny. I agree. Try very hard to not eat food from China and/or never feed your children food from China! Here is a source I found when I Googled. NOT FROM CHINA! http://nuts.com/nuts/pinenuts/organic. Thanks to Leila for another great post! Sheryl
Harmony says
And don't feed your pets food or treats from China either! My pine nuts from Trader Joe's say they're from Korea, Russia and Vietnam… which I hope is better!
Mamabearjd says
We had cool weather and opened the windows today! The minions and I need to attack the basil tomorrow. It seems to be the thing I am best at growing.
hauslalo says
I have substituted sunflower seeds for pine nuts and received rave reviews. I like to serve fresh pesto on a slice of baguette topped with a thin slice of fresh tomato. A roasted tomato would be great , and if you have a slice of salami, slide that on too. I took another batch of roasted tomatoes out of the oven just an hour ago…a great way to warm up the kitchen on a cooler autumn evening.
sarah says
We made a pasta dish recently – though now I think about it not too recently, since Tom Kitten was a newborn then and is now five months old. According to Jamie Oliver – from his Italy book a Trapanese way of making a kind of pesto sauce. You use 150g almonds (5 1/2 oz), 1 clove garlic, four handfuls basil, 150g (5 1/2 oz) fresh parmesan, evoo and 600g (11b 6oz) tomatoes, halved. Warm the almonds a little, then crush in food food processor or mortar & pestle, to coarse powder. put them in a bowl. Bash (his word) the garlic and basil together in the mortar then mix with the almonds, adding the parmesan, a good glug of olive oil and some salt and pepper. “Add the tomatoes and really scrunch them with your hands into the almond mixture until they have completely broken up. Loosen with a little evoo and toss with hot drained pasta”. It was really good!
Maria says
A trick I learned — if you blanch the basil for a minute, the pesto stays a beautiful bright green. You might think that would change the taste or that the limp leaves would be yucky, but no, it works perfectly.
Waka network says
I enjoy this pesto. Very easy, especially if the ingredients are standards in your kitchen.
Harmony says
Great idea with the dried tomatoes! I have just received a dehydrator but I'm not sure I will have enough tomatoes left over this year to dry. I made pesto this year for the first time; it tasted not quite right to me but my mother said that's just because I had gotten used to the Costco pesto which has vinegar in it. She has made pesto for years, sometimes with sunflower seeds, sometimes with walnuts, always eaten eagerly by the family. She's only recently moved up in the world and used pine nuts… It's neat to hear all the variations in ingredients that people still find tasty–very freeing. And thanks, Maria, for the blanching tip–I will give that a try next time!
By the way it's interesting to me that you all talk about pesto in the winter, and putting in on crackers or bread. I eat pesto almost exclusively in the summer, as a condiment for green beans–that's how we grew up. It's the best way to eat a green bean in my opinion (I love green beans). And I've converted my husband too.