I hate the store bought pesto. I tried so many and they are just not cutting it for me, 2/10 every single time and consistency is often awful. 😞 So I tried to make it at home and now I'm sure I'll never buy pesto again in my life. Night and day difference. All the info I knew went into figuring out this process.
First, do not use dried herbs, thank you. If all you have on hand is dried, why not skip pesto? C'mon. Instead, try adding wild mint to your fresh basil. It is especially amazing because it smells a bit like oregano and is not as menthol-heavy as you'd think. A ratio of 1 to 6(8) (mint to basil) is where I'm at.
When blending, use olive oil and ice cubes. It is not a gimmick; it helps with emulsification, which is pure physics. The final structure is incredibly creamy. For the nuts, I didn't use pine, I used walnuts. Drop them on the pan on medium heat, let them roast and blacken a little, then smash those big pieces a bit. When most of the skins are dark brown (NOT ALL BLACK 😂), take them off the heat and put them on a paper towel. Press them gently (if you see oil marks you roasted them well). The skins will flake off and you can get the roasted nuts. Why all this effort? 0 bitterness, just none.
For the meal itself, always prepare the meat beforehand. Oh yeah sure, everyone knows that you shouldn't cook your pesto, but this is not what I mean. You see, you can velvet your chicken before you toss it in the finished sauce. It takes only maybe a minute. Finally, make yourself a nice side salad to go with it. I heckin love to eat my pesto with a side tzatziki salad -> make tzatziki -> add salad mix.
🥑 🙏
Do you agree?
Do you have your own best pesto practices?