Homemade Pesto

[Anna N]

Here is some interesting reading on regional pesto.  I cannot vouch for authenticity of course but I did find it interesting. 

[gfweb]

6 hours ago, Lisa Shock said:

So, I got an old copy of the textbook used at the CIA, The Professional Chef from 1964, and it has a really weird pesto recipe. I also have the 1974 edition, and the same recipe appears there as well. Here are the ingredients:

 

salt pork, rind removed   10½ ounces

fresh pork fat                 10½ ounces

celery leaves                   1/3 ounce

parsley leaves with stalks 1/3 ounce

rosemary                          ½ teaspoon

sweet basil                       ½ teaspoon

marjoram                          ½ teaspoon

oregano                            ½ teaspoon

thyme                              ½ teaspoon

 

The instructions simply say to cut the pork fat into small dice, mix everything together, then twice run through a fine grinder. (my words)

I am assuming the last 5 ingredients would be dried.

 

Notes say that pesto is often used as a cooking fat...

 

I recall hating pesto as a kid. My mom never made it, but I had it while eating out on occasion. I am thinking that this recipe may be why I never liked it -I also dislike bacon. Anyway, I am curious, is this a legitimate Italian recipe from a particular region, or just a bad attempt at cultural appropriation?

 

Sounds vile.

Notable that the CIA is using weights even back then.

[Lisa Shock]

8 hours ago, Anna N said:

Here is some interesting reading on regional pesto.  I cannot vouch for authenticity of course but I did find it interesting. 

 

I'm going to have to try at least 1/3 of these. However, the lard pesto, not so much...

[MelissaH]

I like pesto, and I like bacon, and that recipe doesn't sound like anything I want to eat. Does the book say anything about how to use this stuff?

[blue_dolphin]

11 minutes ago, MelissaH said:

I like pesto, and I like bacon, and that recipe doesn't sound like anything I want to eat. Does the book say anything about how to use this stuff?

 

Some suggestions for using a similar preparation on this page

[Lisa Shock]

19 hours ago, MelissaH said:

I like pesto, and I like bacon, and that recipe doesn't sound like anything I want to eat. Does the book say anything about how to use this stuff?

 

Instead of being in the sauces section of the book, it's the final recipe in the Pork section. There are no direct instructions, it just mentions that it's used as a cooking fat and seasoning agent. It also points out that seasoned pork fat adds additional flavor to Italian soups and sauces.

[MelissaH]

On 4/11/2017 at 4:23 AM, Lisa Shock said:

 

Instead of being in the sauces section of the book, it's the final recipe in the Pork section. There are no direct instructions, it just mentions that it's used as a cooking fat and seasoning agent. It also points out that seasoned pork fat adds additional flavor to Italian soups and sauces.

So maybe this stuff is intended to get cooked, rather than just mixed with hot pasta? That might make more sense.

[paulraphael]

Here's my rejiggering of Hazan's recipe (with some input from the CIA textbook).

This is converted to weights, because seriously, wtf is a cup of basil? Your measure could be off from mine by 200%. You might as well measure by fistfull.

 

100g basil leaves
50g toasted pine nuts
10g garlic cloves, minced
125g olive oil
100g grated parmesan

 

 

Toast the pine nuts in a pan (I've also used almonds). 

Grind everything but the cheese in a food processor or mortar and pestle.

Grate the cheese and stir it in. 

 

I haven't experimented with blanched basil, but read an article based on a single test. It concluded that the blanched version looked much better, tasted much worse.

If I were to repeat this experiment I'd steam the basil instead of immersing in boiling water. I've found this affects the flavor less, while deactivating the enzymes just as well.

But I'm not optimistic that it's a good idea.

[Franci]

On 4/9/2017 at 3:52 PM, Lisa Shock said:

 Anyway, I am curious, is this a legitimate Italian recipe from a particular region, or just a bad attempt at cultural appropriation?

 

Don't think it as a same recipe as pesto genovese. This is not the same and not intended to be consumed as genovese pesto. But I am sure there are pestos with lardo in the regional cooking of emilia/toscana where you can use lardo as a soffritto and I don't think of it as vile at all. But there is also something called pesto modenese or "cunza" that  is a pesto of lard, rosemary, garlic and salt that is usually spread on tigelle. Lardo used is very nice and sweet very hard to find the same quality in the US.

[Franci]

On 4/9/2017 at 4:07 PM, Anna N said:

Here is some interesting reading on regional pesto.  I cannot vouch for authenticity of course but I did find it interesting. 

 

Interesting a pesto of rucola from Aosta  Let's say that some of this might have a...how do you say in English? I seed of truth but others are questionable let's say that because friarielli are largely consumed in Campania doesn't mean there is such thing as a friarielli pesto commonly found in the houses in Campania...but they don't put in the list pesto trapanese.

Edited April 15, 2017 by Franci (log)

[Anna N]

7 hours ago, Franci said:

 

Interesting a pesto of rucola from Aosta  Let's say that some of this might have a...how do you say in English? I seed of truth but others are questionable let's say that because friarielli are largely consumed in Campania doesn't mean there is such thing as a friarielli pesto commonly found in the houses in Campania...but they don't put in the list pesto trapanese.

 

 I did say I couldn't vouch for any authenticity.  Thanks for weighing in.