The Condiment: Pesto

The Condiment. A seriously under-thought everyday edition to a multitude of foods.

I know my husband and I use condiments five or six times a day. That's more than bread and meat! But for something that we use so often, I have to admit that during my grocery shopping it is probably the least thought through purchase. I just throw the ketchup, mustard, mayo, hot sauce... etc. into the cart and call it good. I have made my own bread, my own tomato sauce, my own jam and jellies but I have never really thought about making my own ketchup. I have thought about Japanese food, Indian, Chinese, Italian. Have I ever thought about their condiments? Perhaps more that their American counterparts but again, not really.

Now that I have admitted this to myself, what are Italian condiments? Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar surely. Pesto? Sure. That seems like a good place to start.

The interesting thing about condiments in general, is that they are all to taste. Whether it's sauces, spreads, chutneys or relishes; it is all really about what you like. Therefore, none of these condiments really have exact recipes but more of a list of what works. The only way to get right is to taste, taste, taste to your preference. Because of this, there are also many variations on each condiment. For example, in pesto you can substitute other herbs or greens for the basil, other nuts for the pine nuts, other cheese for the Parm, etc. Below I have included a few of the most successful variations of pesto.

Standard Everyday Pesto

Into a food processor toss:

Small chunks of Parmesan (the real stuff) cheese (Asiago or romano work as well)
Couple handfuls of fresh basil leaves
About a 1/2 cup of pine nuts, toasted (and they must absolutely be toasted)
1 or 2 cloves of chopped, raw garlic

and pulse while drizzling in Olive Oil. Continue pulsing until pesto comes together, but not until it is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

Replace all or some of the basil with sun-dried tomatoes. Other options are arugula, spinach, parsley, cilantro or other tender greens or herbs

Almond Pesto

Replace all or some of the pine nuts with toasted almonds. Other options are mild flavored nuts such as walnuts.

Lemon Pesto

Replace all or some of the olive oil with lemon olive oil or add 1 teaspoon of lemon zest. Other options are replacing the olive oil with any flavored oil, nut oils being particularly tasty

Mint Walnut Pesto

Replace the basil with mint and the pine nuts with walnuts. Add pepper to taste and enjoy slathered on lamb shanks for a refreshing marinade or dipping sauce.

Great, so now we have the pesto. What do we do with it? Some great uses are:

• Stirring together a 1:1 ratio of pesto and mayonnaise for summer burgers, sandwiches and pasta salads.
• Tossing pesto onto warm pasta to serve with baby tomatoes, grilled chicken and mozzarella.
• Mixing pesto into ground chicken for an interesting twist on burgers.
• Adding it to your tomato sauce on spaghetti night.
• Slathering pesto on white fish or chicken breasts before grilling.
• Stuffing ravioli or manacotti with mozzarella, ricotta and pesto.
• Blending up a pesto vinaigrette by adding some more olive oil and a some vinegar to taste.

I think as far as condiments go, pesto is quite a good one. :)