What To Do with Lots of Fresh Stuff: Pesto

So with all these posts about recipes and whatnot, I don't know if I've had the chance to communicate how much I love fresh fruits and vegetables. Forget all the other stuff that's here; just eat a tomato and enjoy the extra time on your hands. Seriously, that's the best cooking advice I have - don't cook if you don't need to.

And right now's the time that no one should cook. Everything's too fresh and perfect as is.

This morning's jaunt to the farmer's market was a wonderful disaster. I came home with more stuff than any Mormon-sized family could handle...and it's just me and Mariana. But how can you resist buying three baskets full of fruit, instead of one, when the opportunity of saving $3 is being yelled at you by the farmer's beautifully broken English? Yes, I want to support you, sir, and I will buy this entire table of fruit from you. May God bless your crops forever.

But once you've got all 3 feet of your counters covered in fresh food, it's time to think about how to go about eating it all - and fast.

Over the next week I'll post a few different ways to make it all taste super summery and good.

Today: Pesto

3 large garlic cloves
1/2 cup pine nuts
2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano, coursely grated (2/3 cup)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3 cups loosely packed basil leaves
1/2 - 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. With food processor (or blender), drop in garlic and finely chop.
2. Stop motor and add nuts, cheese, salt, pepper and basil and finely chop.
3. Then, with motor running, add oil until it's all combined (err on the side of less oil if you want)

**Keeps for 3-4 days, refrigerated.


In the end, you'll end up with a lot of pesto.

Now, what to do with the pesto....

1. Cook some pasta and add a few tablespoons to it, mixing completely. Serve with fresh vegetables on top like tomatoes, cucumbers, raw or cooked zucchini/broccoli/string beans, red onion, whatever you want. Garnish with a little more basil, add salt if you need it, and it's a summer salad.

2. Make a veggie sandwich with pesto on the bread instead of mayo/mustard. You can put swiss cheese, tomato, red onion, sprouts, lotsa lettuce, cucumber, avocado, the works on it.

3. Make pesto potato salad with string beans

4 lbs small yukon gold/red potatoes, halved lengthwise
1 lb string beans, cut into 1 inch pieces (and snap off the hard end that was attached to the vine)
1 cup pesto
1/4 cup chopped green onions
4 tbs white balsamic/white wine vinegar

1. Cook potatoes in boiling water for 10 minutes, just until tender.
2. Add beans, cook 3-4 minutes longer.
3. Drain and transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly, 10 minutes.
4. Mix in pesto and green onions and coat well.
5. Cool for 30 minutes to 2 hours more.
6. Add vinegar right before you serve it.
(this makes enough for about 10 people)