Another Pesto Recipe?

I’m reading a ton of memoirs as I put the final touches on my book about my mom. If I ever finish it, consider it a miracle. As I was re-reading a book by Molly Wizenberg, a former food blogger, my pesto-ometer went off. (Her blog, Orangette, was well written, had lots of great recipes, and even won a James Beard Award.) She’s moved on to a different blog now, but still has her recipes posted.

What intrigued me is that she said her father taught her to make pesto using a James Beard recipe. I’m embarrassed to say, I knew very little about James, and in case you didn’t either, here is why he’s famous according to Encyclopedia Brittanica:

“James Beard was an American culinary expert who championed simple American and English dishes and wrote one of the first serious books on outdoor cooking. In 1945, he became the first chef to demonstrate cooking on network television.”

Yes, I was ignorant of someone so famous in food circles that an award is named after him. There’s even a James Beard Foundation — they’re the ones who give the awards.

Naturally, I brazenly wondered if James’ pesto recipe was as good as mine. I’m sure that’s blasphemy to some out there, but that’s how confident I am in my pesto chops. And with the huge crop of basil I had, it was the perfect way to experiment and use my balcony’s bounty.

I’ve used the same recipe for years. It’s not James Beard’s, it’s the one I found on the plastic bag my basil came in – literally at least 30 years ago. Sometimes the best recipes come from places you’d never expect. It’s delicious and can be made with either pine nuts or walnuts.

I use walnuts because they’re seven bucks for a three pound bag at Costco, as opposed to 24 ounces of pine nuts that were $24.99! But I wanted to try the recipes side by side with the same ingredients, so I sprang for a smaller bag of Fisher Pine Nuts for 12.49 at Giant Eagle. Ooof, this blog is killing me!

The first time my mother tasted my pesto she said, “Oh Frenzy, dis issa da best ting I ever had!” That was high praise coming from her. My dad loved it so much, he asked me to tell it to him over the phone so he could write it down. I keep his hand-written version framed in my dining room.

The biggest difference in our recipes is James used parsley in his and he added salt. I mixed them the same, processing the greens, garlic, and nuts first, then adding the oil and cheese.

I labeled them so there would be no confusion and then I tasted them, side by side. Maybe it’s because I’m biased, or because I’m used to the taste of mine, but I truly liked mine better.

His was good, I just didn’t love the way the parsley slightly changed the full-frontal basil character of the pesto. I also felt my recipe was slightly creamier. But, what I liked about his was you didn’t have to add salt. Then again, it’s nice when people can add salt only if they want to.

So, I’m posting both recipes. Please try them, see what you think, and let me know, OK? Come on, you can’t let that beautiful basil go to waste! And you may as well chop up some fresh tomatoes and toss them with basil, olive oil, balsamic and a little salt. They’re scruptious.

I found James’ recipe on a blog called My Italian Grandmother written by a woman named Michelle. She said someone named Lyn shared it with her. (Another case of recipes making the rounds.) This is what she wrote:

“Here’s the James Beard Recipe – Thank You Lyn for sharing this with me.

1 cup fresh basil leaves, tightly packed
½ cup olive oil
¼ cup parsley
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup pinoli nuts
½ cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (I always use Locatelli Romano)
½ tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in a blender and whirl until a thick uniform paste is formed, add more oil if paste is too thick. This amount is enough for 1 lb pasta. Pesto may be stored in refrigerator for several weeks or in the freezer for several months. Place in a jar or container and coat with a thin layer of olive oil, cover tightly. Note: You can use chicken broth to thin out the paste if you don’t want to add more oil.”

And here is the non-famous Fran Tunno/Classy Plastic Bag Pesto Recipe.

Fran’s Creamy Pesto Pasta – Classy Plastic Bag Recipe

And one final thing. It dawned on me today, as I almost choked on the price of pine nuts, that blogging is expensive and I’ve been doing it for more than ten years! It’s really forcing me to curtail my latte habit. So, if you’d like to buy me a coffee, or ten, just click on Buymeacoffee.com/FranTunno and help support my blog and caffeine habits. This is clearly not mandatory, only do it if you’re feeling the love. And if you like this blog, please feel free to re-post it, share it, and become a follower. Just enter your email in the box on the top right if you’re on a computer, or the bottom if you’re on your phone. And thank you!