Homemade Pesto

[Suzi Edwards]

i made some pesto on saturday and was wondering how long people would keep it for in the fridge. my partner is happy to scrape mould off stuff (bleurgh) and he says it will keep until saturday. i don't believe him...

any ideas?

[Varmint]

It should definitely keep that long. I've kept it for weeks. I also freeze it for months, even with the cheese added.

[Kim WB]

The basil will discolor when exposed to air, and the pesot will losse some of its freshness...but it will still be good. I'd suggest using a glass jar, and then putting a layer of saran directly on the surface, pushing down with your hands or a spoon to really minimize any air, then seal it well with the lid. It also freezes well in little ziplocs, perfect for a serving or two.

[BJL]

I freeze it in ice cube trays and then when it is solid, put it in freezer bags. It makes the perfect size serving for two. Also, I have seen/heard that you can add a crushed Vitamin C tablet to the mix to preserve the lush green color.

[MobyP]

Tarka -

the californians break open a vit C tablet into it - helps the basil stay fresh and green. A good squeeze of lemon juice also helps. Apart from freezing, you can always pour a good layer of olive oil to cover. That should keep you, just about, till Saturday.

Also - whadaya taking advice about food storage from a man who puts avocado on his burger for? He should've scraped that thing off before he starts abusing your pesto. Face it - the guy lives dangerously.

[Suzi Edwards]

thanks for the tips guys.

moby, next time you see jack, ask him about the guacamole. just make sure i'm not in earshot.

[robyn]

i made some pesto on saturday and was wondering how long people would keep it for in the fridge. my partner is happy to scrape mould off stuff (bleurgh) and he says it will keep until saturday. i don't believe him...

any ideas?

I make fresh pesto and keep it for up to about 4 months in the refrigerator. Sealed with a film of olive oil. If it gets some mold on top - I scrape off the mold. Do not under any circumstances try to do this if there is fresh garlic in your pesto (danger of botulism!). Robyn

[Kris]

I love pesto! So I wanted to try my hand at making it myself.

This is the recipe I used:

1 1/2 cups basil leaves, packed

1/4 cup parsley leaves, packed

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup walnuts (I didn't have pine nuts handy so the recipe said you could substitute)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt & pepper

1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated.

I combined the garlic & walnuts in my food processor then added 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Then I added the basil, parsley and remaining oil. I then tasted the mixture. It tasted bitter and bland at the same time (if that's possible). And gritty. I thought maybe I didn't pulse the mixture enough so I ran the processor a bit more with a little salt & pepper added.

I then stirred in the cheese.

The pesto tasted HORRIBLE. It was even more bitter, spicy and just overwhelmingly pungent. And it was still gritty. The parsley was supposed to keep the pesto bright green but it turned moss green anyway. And I could taste the parsley in the pesto even though the recipe said that the parsley wouldn't add its own taste.

I ended up throwing the whole thing away.

I checked the bunch of remaining basil leaves and saw that they had residual grit on them that I must not have washed off properly. So I realize that mistake.

But in terms of the actual flavor...I'm very disappointed. The basil was extraordinarily pungent and aromatic.

I can't imagine what went wrong. Any tips or suggestions? Any foolproof recipe?

[mrbigjas]

could it be your walnuts? sometimes walnuts can be bitter unless blanched or toasted, and especially if they're starting to turn.

[Busboy]

Where was the frikkin' garlic?

I am deeply suspicious of the walnuts -- hey don't taste anything like pine nuts. And the parsley. Adding that is like watering the gin. Somewhere an Italian grandma is turning over in her grave.

I'm also wondering if the the basil needed a rinse.

(This might irk the grannies as well, but I put a little fresh lemon juice in mine when it needs a little kick. Also, when I'm feeling all elegant, I roast the pine nuts.)

[Kris]

Where was the frikkin' garlic?

I am deeply suspicious of the walnuts -- hey don't taste anything like pine nuts.  And the parsley.  Adding that is like watering the gin.  Somewhere an Italian grandma is turning over in her grave.

I'm also wondering if the the basil needed a rinse.

(This might irk the grannies as well, but I put a little fresh lemon juice in mine when it needs a little kick.  Also, when I'm feeling all elegant, I roast the pine nuts.)

←

I added 1 large clove of garlic.

The walnuts taste fine, I mean they aren't rancid or anything like that. But you're right - they're not pine nuts.

Next time I'll rinse the basil better and nix the parsley. So what if the pesto turns moss green?

Also, I'm thinking it may have had TOO much basil. It was just a very overpowering taste of basil.

Does anyone have a tried and true basil recipe they can share?

[fiftydollars]

add a little (just a pinch) ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and it should keep your pesto from turning green right away. You should also boil the basil for 5-10 seconds in rapidly boiling well-salted water and shock it in ice water before making your pesto.

Pine nuts. No parsley. More garlic.

[Kris]

add a little (just a pinch) ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and it should keep your pesto from turning green right away. You should also boil the basil for 5-10 seconds in rapidly boiling well-salted water and shock it in ice water before making your pesto.

Pine nuts. No parsley. More garlic.

←

What is the purpose of boiling and shocking the basil?

[mizducky]

add a little (just a pinch) ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and it should keep your pesto from turning green right away. You should also boil the basil for 5-10 seconds in rapidly boiling well-salted water and shock it in ice water before making your pesto.

Pine nuts. No parsley. More garlic.

←

What is the purpose of boiling and shocking the basil?

←

It keeps the basil bright green, without resorting to any additives.

[Kris]

Thanks!

Another question: Is it remotely possible that it was too much basil or that the basil was just too fragrant?

[mizducky]

Thanks!

Another question: Is it remotely possible that it was too much basil or that the basil was just too fragrant?

←

I regularly see pesto recipes with that much basil, so I don't think quantity is the problem.

Could you have possibly picked up some variety of Asian basil instead of Italian basil? Some of those can be milder than the European varieties, but some are much stronger and not really suitable for eating raw.

[purplewiz]

Unless your walnuts were rancid/bitter on their own, just using walnuts for pine nuts shouldn't have made your pesto bitter. I use walnuts all the time because my husband HATES pine nuts. No, they don't taste like pine nuts - that's the point .

I agree with skipping the parsley - parsley can be bitter.

I'm also wondering what kind of basil you used? The only time I've made a truly inedible pesto was when I absentmindedly included some Thai basil in with the Italian basil. The licorice notes of the Thai basil were NOT a good addition and tasted horrible. That batch went out with the garbage.

Marcia.

[Kris]

I think you all are right - the parsley probably did add some bitterness.

But now you have me wondering about the type of basil I picked up...

Tomorrow I'll take a photo with my digital camera and upload it. Because I'm not exactly sure if it's the Italian kind or an Asian variety. It was just labeled "basil," so I went with it.

[Busboy]

I think you should trust your taste buds more than a recipe -- next time get more of everything than you need and make a batch and taste it, then just adjust as you see fit. Especially dealing with ingredients like basil, garlic and olive oil which can vary quite a bit, no recipe can really be exact.

Garlic can be bitter-- maybe you just got unlucky. Olive oil can have a bitter finish, too.

Good luck next time-- at least it's cheaper than wrecking a steak!

[sadistick]

What I see wrong with this recipe is...Parsley, Walnuts...and a food processor.

I believe all pesto should be made in a mortar and pestal, the way mamma used to make it back in italy!

Jokes aside, Just take some sea salt, some garlic, and evoo - mash that up, start adding your basil till it gets thicker...more evoo if needed. Toast some pine nuts, add those, then finish with a handfull or two of regiano, and more evoo if needed.

[SuzySushi]

No parsley! Yecccchhh!!! Blechhhhh!!!

Taste your basil leaves. Do they taste like basil, or do they have a licorice note (Thai basil, which is the wrong kind for pesto). Make sure they're washed thoroughly to remove any grit. (But it's entirely possible the grittiness came from the parsley, which is inherently a grittier herb than basil.)

Taste the garlic and walnuts to make sure they don't taste bitter or rancid. Quite frankly, I wouldn't use walnuts at all. And, as my daughter is allergic to pine nuts, my pesto consists of basil, evoo, salt, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

[phatj]

I've had good results with walnuts in pesto if I find myself caught without pine nuts, but I think it's a must to toast them to avoid bitterness. This is easy to do -- just toss them in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for a few minutes until they're just beginning to brown and start to smell toasty.

I think the addition of parsley sounds intriguing, but then I really like parsley. I'd omit it unless you identify something else as the culprit.

One other thing -- a healthy dose of salt can really take the edge off the bitterness, if it's not totally irredeemable. Too late now, I guess.

[Rebo]

I never heard of blanching the basil. I'll give that a try as well.

I always toast my nuts. I find this helps the texture too, as raw nuts have a grittiness about them.

I personally like to blanch the garlic too. Raw garlic is a little strong for me.

[Kevin72]

Walnuts can be a common element in various pestos either on their own or as a substitute for pine nuts. However, I do think they were the culprit in the bitter flavor.

And, no parsley next time.

[Busboy]

So, what does blanching do to the flavor/tecture of the basil? Not that I haven't gotten along fine with less-than-emerald pesto in the past, but I never miss a chance to mess up anolther pot or two while cooking.

And, in case anyone's considering blanching their basil without having done so before, note Thomas Keller's practical advice on how much salt: the water should be as salty as seawater. (I hear this throws of Utah residents and Midwesterners ). And the cold water, of course, icy cold.