Basic pesto consists of basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, garlic and pine nuts.
Pesto comes in many forms. Almost all varieties include olive oil, garlic and Parmesan cheese, but other ingredients vary. It can include sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, walnuts, basil or various other herbs. You can easily make pesto at home in a food processor or buy one of the many prepared varieties available in supermarkets. Either version lends intense flavor to numerous dishes such as pasta, roast chicken or even soup.
Instructions
1. Stir the pesto to reincorporate any olive oil that has divided from the other ingredients.
2. Add 1 or 2 tsp. of pesto to warm pasta or spread a thin layer onto sliced French bread and bake as you would garlic bread. You can top steak with a small dollop of pesto or brush shrimp or chicken with it as they grill.
3. Substitute marinara sauce with pesto on a pizza or simply use it as a condiment on a sandwich. Stir it into steamed vegetables or turn it into a salad vinaigrette by thinning it out with olive oil or vinegar.
Tags: other ingredients, Parmesan cheese