Pesto - Enjoying Nature's Bounty Creatively

What a great time of year the summer is! Farmer's markets allow the consumer – that's you and me – to meet the farmers and ranchers who work so hard to raise delicious, healthy food for us. The Pike Place Market is a central location for producers and buyers to sell and find amazing products from all over the state. Artists, Farmers, Businesspeople, and Performers gather each day to share in the abundance of our region, and you will have the pleasure of finding plenty of tasty and novel fruits and vegetables to bring home. If you're like me, you might like to explore a new food but might be unsure of how to prepare the item. Well, don't let that prevent you from purchasing the item. It's easy to find ways to use those ingredients. The best way to get to know a new food is to ask the farmer who is selling it. How does he or she prepare it at home? What are some tricks the farmer has learned? Another way is to check a website for recipes using those ingredients, such as http://www.allrecipes.com/ or other community-based recipe sharing websites. But, to save you some time, here is a sure-fire way to use ingredients.

Pesto Sauce can help you use basil, tomatoes, cheese, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, corn, and homemade pasta. The only foods that would taste odd with pesto sauce would be fruit like peaches. Adjust the ratios of the ingredients to emphasize a flavor, as you desire. Spinach can be used in place of some of the basil, and walnuts can be used to replace the pine nuts, if desired. The oil amount is optional, because it's meant to make the sauce spreadable. Chicken stock can be substituted for half of the oil to control the fat content, but omit the salt if you use it.

Simple Pesto (based on recipe from Pampered Chef)

1 cup lightly packed fresh basil

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

1 oz grated fresh Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/8 tsp sea salt, optional

1. 
   

   Place the garlic and pine nuts in the bottom of the food processor. Loosely tear half of the basil and add to the garlic and pine nuts.

   
   
2. 
   

   Pulse the food processor until the garlic has been minced. Add the remaining basil, loosely torn, and the Parmesan cheese. Pulse until all ingredients are chopped.

   
   
3. 
   

   Using the small feed tube in the top of the food processor, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, pulsing while you blend. Pour in just enough oil to make a paste. The pesto sauce should be thick but definitely spreadable. Taste it for flavor and adjust ingredient ratios, if needed. It should taste bright, zippy, and fresh. Add a dash of salt, if you desire.

   
   
4. 
   

   If you're not using all of the pesto sauce right away, it can be stored in a tightly-sealed container for 3 days in the refrigerator. For longer storage, you can divide it up into small zipper bags and freeze it.