If you’ve
ever made homemade basil pesto, the only thing you are likely to learn from
this post is that the success or failure of backyard gardening is often based
on dumb luck.
Last year, I
planted basil in pots in an attempt to create a trendy container herb garden. I
tucked some kale and Swiss chard into a traditional bed and hoped for the best.
The kale and Swiss Chard thrived, while the basil struggled. In fact, the basil
either fried in the sun (as I frequently forgot to water it) or sat in pools of
water for days after a summer thunderstorm released a deluge from the sky.
This season,
I decided to plant one of these basil beauties from Restoration Farm in the backyard
patch I’ve reserved for herbs and greens, and this summer, the basil is
thriving. The initial plants, plus two
others I received as gifts, with no nurturing whatsoever are the size of small shrubs.
So with
basil leaves the size of palm leaf fronds nodding at me from the garden, I must
finally acquiesce and make a batch of backyard basil pesto.
It really is
as easy as they all say – about 10 minutes or less from garden to kitchen. I’m a little amazed at all the “original
recipes” for pesto I find proliferating online. Let’s face it – there’s not a lot you can do
to mess with this one. It’s basil, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper,
and grated cheese. This basic recipe from the Food Network Kitchens works just
fine.
Harvesting
the basil is kind of a soothing, visceral experience. A heavy perfume of
liquorice hangs in the warm summer afternoon air.
My one stab
at originality consists of using a lemon infused olive oil I purchased at the
local farmers market the day before. It
does add a certain brightness to the party.
There are
people who will tell you a salad spinner is a useless item. But it’s quite
handy for rinsing the basil leaves and spinning them dry. Even when I believe
the leaves are free of water, I manage to spin away several tablespoons
more.
From there,
the food processor is the kitchen tool of choice. Part of the appeal of this
recipe is the additional directions for freezing. Grated Pecorino or Parmesan
can be added once the pesto has been thawed.
So, the pesto is pulsed smooth and
poured into a freezer safe jar, the shimmering green puree ready when I need it
to adorn grilled chicken or pasta at some later date.
And, I’m
already expecting that whatever plant is bombing this year will likely be my
top performer in next year’s kitchen garden.
©2013 T.W.
Barritt All Rights Reserved
