Best basil pesto source in NYC?
Not in NYC but nearby I like the pesto at Wine Library
i use the one that eataly sells - small jar with a white cap. really good.
You know, I don’t think I’ve ever once considered buying pesto. Perhaps I should!
I really like their pesto as well, it’s just not convenient or it gets expensive fedex’ing it.
I was thinking the same thing. basil, pine nuts, a small clove of garlic good olive oil and either parmesan or creamy goat cheese
I’m currently buying a very good pesto from Eataly (although it must be a different product since my jars have silver caps), but was hoping for fresh pesto that cost less per oz.
Heresy!
Now I’m feeling guilty I don’t make my own. Will make some this weekend.
Marcella Hazan recipe “Thin noodles with goat’s cheese pesto” from Marcella’s Kitchen by Marcella Hazan
Much lighter and a little less cloying than a pesto made with parmesan.
But do you use a mortar and pestle or a food processor?
Usually a food processor, I admit, because I tend to make large batches when the basil is at its best at the market. I freeze it in ice cube trays, without the cheese, then put the cubes in a ziploc for use when basil isn’t plentiful.
I love my suribachi (Japanese mortar and pestle) though, for many other things and use it often.
Fresh is infinitely superior. Fresh when made from my garden is significantly better than fresh when made from basil I buy at the store. In a pinch, the stuff at Costco is not terrible in an emergency.
I confess that I’m lazy, too. But a friend who went to cooking school in Italy tells me they had the class make it both ways at the same time. In a couple of hours, the processor batch was dark while the mortar and pestle version was bright green. I guess I’ll have to get out the elbow grease and try it the old fashioned way … sometime.
I would have chimed in with the obvious fresh is better, it is. I want to dispel this myth though, the mortar is not magical. The mortar has the advantage of squeezing out oils, in that regard it is superior. As far as darkening the greens go, that is purely a function of exposure to oxygen. The processor will aerate much more unless you have a decent oil cover. The mortar can maintain with less oil provided it covers the ingredients because the aeration is far less. Clearly you can work around that. I have for years made pesto that stays green for many weeks straight from a food processor. The oil itself is a factor as an antioxidant. Upshot is think about what you want and your timeframe, then prepare accordingly.
Thanks!
These days I make a lot of pesto with lime juice for meats and vegetables, and I think lime acid helps preserve the color.
Serious Eats has a good writeup on all the common options, including mortal-and-pestle vs. food processor. Despite reading this artcile when it was published, I’ve still been too lazy to go the mortar and pestle route.
My wife is allergic to pine nuts (and walnuts etc.). Sunflower seeds are a nearly acceptable substitute.
I still have fresh basil but not much.
We use cashews.
She can’t have any tree nut or peanut. The pine nuts are just a weird additional allergy.
pistachios?