Pistachio Pesto (pg. 80, U.S. edition)

msue · Joined: 18 Dec 2005 Posts: 368

Clotilde's Pistachio Pesto (pg. 80, U.S. edition) is so good!! We had it on pasta tonight, topped with roasted asparagus. It is very easy to make and has a wonderful flavor (delicate nutty sweetness balanced by just the right amount of basil and parmesan). It made plenty for the two of us, so I'll probably experiment with freezing some of the leftovers to use sometime when I'm too tired to cook

p.s. The green of the pistachio holds up in the mixing, so that adds a perky look to however you might serve it. It is definitely pretty enough to serve to company!

gingerpale · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 1324

Thank you for posting, msue--this one sounds fine--I just read it over in the book, it's easy to do! But I don't agree with Clotilde's statement that pistachios are "underappreciated"--not at my house, they're not! Wink

What kind of pasta did you use? Do you think it would be good unheated too, for summer?

msue · Joined: 18 Dec 2005 Posts: 368

gingerpale, we are fairly addicted to pistachios too!

For the pasta, we used casareccia, a shape that is like little curvy double tubes of pasta cut in 1.5 inch lengths. I had to look on the package for the name. It worked well because the shape catches a hearty sauce nicely. Incidentally, I used some pasta water to thin out the pesto a bit so it would coat the pasta more evenly. I also cut the asparagus into a similar length before roasting it, so size-wise, it worked really well.

I do think the pesto would work fine in a room temperature dish, or even a cold dish, although the warmth of the hot pasta really brought out flavors that might not be present in a cooler dish. It seems like it would work well with tomatoes too, so I'm making stuffed cherry tomato appetizers tomorrow. Yum. And easy!

Hope you try the pesto.

gingerpale · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 1324

Never heard of that pasta! Double tubes? Looked it up if anyone else is curious--
http://www.damicofoods.com/ProductImages/pasta/DP-CAS.jpg

Pesto Man · Posted: Fri May 25, 2007 12:40 pm Post subject:

generally speaking pesto, (all types) will last 4-6 weeks under refrigeration and for longer storage, do freeze beautifully!! A good idea is to use an ice cube tray to get little individual portion sized "pesto cubes"
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msue · Joined: 18 Dec 2005 Posts: 368

Thanks for the idea, Pesto Man. I often freeze some regular basil pesto at the end of the summer. It helps make the winter seem a bit warmer!

Your ice cube tray idea is a great one - or small little tubs that will make just enough for two servings.

gingerpale: thanks for the link! I once used this pasta shape for Clotilde's absorption pasta method, and it worked well. I was nervous that all that stirring might damage the pasta, but I used a gentle hand and the pasta held up well.

David · Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2007 4:11 pm Post subject:

wellI finally got hold of some fresh basil (just coming into season here, and only in potted form) and made pistachio pesto for the first time! Loved it,not only was it wonderful onpasta (I used those little shell ones) but smeared on a bison burger patty for breakfast I was able to savour it all morning long Very Happy

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birgit · Joined: 31 Jan 2005 Posts: 247 Location: Germany

In case there are still pistachios left (and 12 apricots and a tub of ricotta), you can bake the Apricot and Pistachio Ricotta Cake with a lovely orangey tang (GB edition page 213 ff.), yummy! As usual a baked a small cake at the side as well and this was even better (more of the delicious crust Smile

), so I think of using the muffin tin next time.
And there are pistachios left, as well as asperagus, so these will very likely change into pasta, asperagus and pesto today, thank you for the idea Smile

msue · Joined: 18 Dec 2005 Posts: 368

birgit, the leftover pistachios will soon find themselves tucked into the Tomato, Pistachio, and Chorizo Loaf (U.S. edition, pg 153). Only my version will use a smoked ham in place of chorizo - it is what I have on hand. I look forward to trying the savory loaf!

I hope you enjoy the pesto/asparagus pasta. We really loved that combo.

birgit · Joined: 31 Jan 2005 Posts: 247 Location: Germany

I'd have thought that I'd start with a savory recipe as well, but there were these exactly 12 apricots and the tub of ricotta smiling at me -- so how could I resist ... ? We tried it together with a malty Assam Tea -- very recommendable, too!

Meanwhile we've had the pasta/asperagus/pesto combo, with green asperagus and mhm, scrumptious! We'll definitely make this again! The basil season has just begun, there is no pistachio shortage in sight and asparagus is freezable ... Smile

tealady · Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 11

I made the pistachio pesto yesterday and it was superb on gnocci! Magnifique!! Merci, Clotilde!

MissC · Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Washington, DC

Agreed, pesto freezes wonderfully and is a great treat through the winter. Our basil plant just kept growing and growing last year and we were able to make several batches to freeze. We ended up with two stacked rows of containers of pesto and I joked that they were like little gold bars stacked in a safe, because to basil is practically worth the gold if you buy it from the market. Hopefully, we'll be stocked again this winter, but with pistachio pesto!