With summer now gone, I have been making and freezing alot of pesto. And I don't know why. It seems silly, really. You can get basil all year round now at stores like Trader Jo's who get it from hothouse growers.
And maybe that right there is the point. It comes from Trader Jo's and it is grown in a hothouse. It's not picked from my garden, leaves still warm and then turned right into pesto.
But lately, there is a problem lurking. Pesto that turns dark. And it drives me crazy. I want that bright emerald green pesto. The kind you see in Gourmet. And at those fancy restaurants. What's the deal? Why does mine go dark...so fast. I tried the mortar and pestle route. Grinding and grinding by hand.This is sure alot of work I thought to myself, but if it works, it will be worth it.Things looked like they were going pretty well for a while and then....everything went south. OMG! It turned dark. O.K. I'll try the Cuisinart. No luck there either. Is it the blade on the Cuisinart that turns the pesto dark.?. So after much research and investigating, I think I finally discovered the secret (at least it was a secret to me.) Blanching. You have to blanch the basil in boiling water for about 30 seconds to set the color, then shock it with ice water. And it worked. it was GREEN. Basil Green. Fresh from the Garden Green. That was the answer. Ta-Da ! I put the pesto on a warm baby white rose potato salad. John was horrified. 'What's that?" "No mayo?"....nope, I'm mayo-ed out. I mayo-ed my way through potato salad all summer long. And I'm tired of it. Tonight it's pesto potato.
If I was really going to do it right, I would have drug out the mortar and pestle. But it's heavy. And I was expecting company in 30 minutes. I didn't want to be standing in my little kitchen grinding basil and walnuts ( yeah, I said walnuts...not pine nuts) in a mortar. They would think I was taking it over the top. Too much time on my hands and all that. And I didn't want to hear it."You're obsessed."they would proclaim. "I know."
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Hello! Thank you for your comment at my end ... & for the blanched basil tip here! - Love basil. LOVE IT! And that gingerbread below looks delightful! I can almost taste & smell it from here :) YUM!
ReplyDeleteHello. Thank you for your comment at my end - & for the blanched basil tip here! I love basil. LOVE IT. And that gingerbread below looks delightful too. I can almost smell/taste it from here. YUM!
ReplyDeleteI make lots and lots of pesto for my freezer. I even made a cilantro pesto for shrimp this year. Mine always stays green but I put it in the freezer asap. I don't know why yours turned black. I have not blanched any before but I'm making a note to try it.
ReplyDeleteMy husband makes the pesto in our house. I'll have to tell him the tip on blanching, although he isn't too picky. But I want him to try Walnuts that sounds great. Thanks for both of the tips. Have a nice week-end.
ReplyDeleteIf Kary says walnuts, you can bet your heine
ReplyDeleteits going to be deeeeeeeewishous.....
rabbit in the pines
Mmmmm, pesto and gorgonzola on grilled burgers! My youngest son and I made piggies of ourselves one time with that!
ReplyDeleteI never grew enough basil to freeze my pesto, just enough to have with a meal now and then. How long is its freezer life?
I am SO GLAD you did this post! I was having the SAME problem with my pesto (and also using my garden-basil before the chills get it!)
ReplyDeleteI have one more batch to make, so I will try your suggestion!
Oh what a great idea! I've also heard that pouring a thin layer of olive oil over the top of the pesto before freezing keeps it nice and green over the longer term...
ReplyDeleteOh that pesto looks amazing. I can't wait to grow basil next year. Thanks for the blanching tip. I've wondered that myself!
ReplyDeleteIt worked! YAHOO!!!! GREEN pesto!
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