Damn. I'm ready to make pesto with the Basil That Has Yet To Die and I have no pine nuts.

M

marilynfl

Moderator
What I do have is:

Pecans

Walnuts

Almonds

Pistachio

Hazelnut (both raw and toasted)

What good is a stuffed-full freezer if you can't find pine nuts in it!

So...recommendations?

Also, should I cut out the veins of the very big leaves? I do that with mint because it never breaks down.

Can you tell I'm a pesto newbie?

 
I would use pistachios and have--really good. I do not like walnuts in pesto at all

in spite of it always being recommended . I loved the pistachio ones I made.
OR, just leave it out all together.

 
I have used all kinds of nuts successfully. Except walnuts...allergic. Almonds work, pistachios. But

I would be tempted to go out and get some pine nuts. I use other herbs with the other nuts but basil expects pine nuts.

 
I almost always use toasted walnuts

because pine nuts are so much more expensive and I actually prefer them whole on salads.

 
well, that's definitely not a consensus. Sounds like a test to me! So I picked up

a 2 oz bag of pine nuts ($3.38!) and will try all of the suggestions:

pine nuts, toasted walnuts, pistachio and I found cashews in the freezer too!

(Note to self: Why am I not finding thousands of dollars of wrapped drug money like they always hide in the freezer on TV? I did find a pork belly that I forgot about. And some freezer jam. Ooh, and some granola.)

Only problem: I'm following CathyZ's method of NOT adding the cheese until ready to use...so this is just going into the freezer.

I'll have to try tiny samples with added cheese to see what's what.

 
I do not care much for the traditional pesto, so I make my own to what I like

definitely less oil, macadamia, and pistachio nuts are faves. I made a sun dried tomato one yesterday that I used to coat the bread for grilled cheese sandwiches. Pine nuts are good too, but sometimes I like to experiment. Almost cannot go wrong. Adding fresh lemon juice is great, as well. I use different oils ...like pesto, almond, pecan, pistachio is yummy.

 
I don't know why not. Usually I make small batches, because I am not that fond of pesto

One year I made a bunch of different types, one had lemon and mint. I froze in ice cube trays, so I had those nice little chunks to add to soups, salad dressings, and pastas. They all seemed to do OK frozen. After they are frozen I dumped into zip lock bags. Now, I would run them through the Food Saver.

 
Basil Test

Since the amounts were so small, I went ahead and added cheese to each sample. That way, I could decide now which version to make later in larger quantities to freeze.

But ya see that itty bitty insidious chunk of fresh garlic in each batch?

WHY FOR THE LOVE OF MONKEYS DID I DO THAT!!!

I KNOW BETTER! Apparently the Hippocampus whose job it is to transfer short term memory to long term was out to lunch with slutty Medulla Oblongata when the memo went out.

Now all I can taste is raw garlic on my tongue.
Stupid!

https://recipeswap.org/fun/wp-content/uploads/Finer_Kitchens/Basil1.jpg~original

 
With all of your basil, give this a look: REC: Linguine With Tomatoes & Basil

The sauce can be used with any pasta. I usually leave the olives on the side.

Linguine With Tomatoes & Basil

This is the perfect recipe for those hot summer days when your garden is plentiful with fresh tomatoes and basil.

6 very ripe large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup sliced black olives
1/2 cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 (16-ounce) package uncooked linguine pasta
Freshly grated parmesan cheese

In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, olive oil, basil, parmesan cheese, black olives, green olives, garlic, salt, and pepper; stir until blended. Cover and let stand at room temperature 2 hours.

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pan. Add tomato mixture and toss to coat thoroughly. Transfer onto individual serving plates and garnish with additional parmesan cheese. Makes 4 servings.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Pasta_Rice_Ma in/lingtom.htm

 
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