The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 875

I like to mix in some baby spinach leaves with the basil when making pesto, which gives the sauce a slightly milder, more balanced flavor At least in my opinion Feel free to go 100-percent basil if you so desire Aside from that, my only other addition is a grating of lemon zest, which adds a touch of brightness to what can be a very sharp sauce The great thing about pesto is that once you’ve got the basic process down (blanch, then blend), the recipe is almost infinitely adaptable Want to make a walnut-parsley pesto? Easy, just replace the basil and spinach with parsley and the pine nuts with walnuts Pistachio-arugula pesto would be fantastic too You get the idea I’ve included four variations here, but don’t let that hold you back! STORING PESTO M ade with the blanch-then-process technique, pesto will remain bright and fresh in the refrigerator for several days If you want to keep it for even longer, freeze it The best way to do this is to fill an ice cube tray with the pesto and allow it to freeze overnight The next day, pop out all the cubes and place them in a zipper-lock freezer bag Pesto can be frozen for up to months like this To use it, cut a pesto cube into rough pieces on your cutting board, then thaw them in a skillet or directly in the saucepan with the cooked pasta  ...M ade with the blanch-then-process technique, pesto will remain bright and fresh in the refrigerator for several days If you want to keep it for even longer, freeze it The best way to do this is to fill an... The best way to do this is to fill an ice cube tray with the pesto and allow it to freeze overnight The next day, pop out all the cubes and place them in a zipper-lock freezer bag Pesto can be frozen... use it, cut a pesto cube into rough pieces on your cutting board, then thaw them in a skillet or directly in the saucepan with the cooked pasta