Pistachio Pesto - A Twist On The Traditional Pesto Recipe. You'll Be Hooked! (2024)

FAQs

What is pistachio pesto made of? ›

In a food processor or blender, pulse the basil, Parmesan, pistachios, garlic, salt and pepper together until finely-chopped. With the food processor or blender still running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until it is completely combined.

Many pesto recipes call for raw pine nuts, but toasting the nuts can make the final sauce's flavor deeper and richer. Toast the nuts and then combine them—either as a paste or whole—with fresh basil, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and garlic.

If choosing between pine nuts and walnuts, pine nuts is my preference. The nuts are softer and more subtle in flavor. They add a little bit of texture and a little bit of flavor. Pesto with pine nuts is really good, but pine nuts are also really expensive.

Traditional pesto is a blend of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, extra-virgin olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. With a food processor, it comes together in just a few steps: Pulse the nuts, lemon juice, and garlic in the food processor until they're finely chopped. Add the basil and pulse again.

Store in a cool and dry place, away from light. After opening keep refrigerated and use within 3-4 days.

This pesto is made with high quality ingredients and is ideal for seasoning pasta, vegetables, meat and fish. Additionally, it can be used as a condiment for your pizza and for hot sandwiches with smoked cheese.

The most common reason for pesto tasting bitter is that the olive oil is past its best and has started to turn rancid. If the pesto has been made in a food processor or blender, there's also the possibility that it has turned bitter from the crude, sheering action of the blades.

PESTO SHOULD NEVER BE “COOKED”. If you cook Pesto Sauce, you change the make up of the fresh basil and cause it to turn darker in color. It is best to warm it up and use it at room temperature. If it needs to be thinned out, you can do so by adding a little water, chicken stock, cream or white wine.

You can doctor it up with some pine nuts, toast them first (but watch closely they burn quickly) and maybe a bit of fresh garlic, and a nice rich fruity olive oil! Blend the pine nuts, and olive oil and fold it into store bought pesto.

If you don't have fresh lemon you can substitute lime juice or apple cider vinegar. This will change the final flavor but still works well.

What pasta is best for pesto? ›

Pesto Sauce

This fresh and fragrant pasta sauce is served uncooked, so choose a pasta shape that won't overwhelm it. Similar to oil-based sauces, pesto is served best with longer cuts of pasta, like the corkscrew shape of Fusilli. Pesto works best with Bucatini, Capellini, thinner Spaghettini, and Fettuccine.

Pistachios. Pistachios make for a unique pesto sauce that is absolutely delicious and has a vibrant color. Pistachios have a sweeter taste than pine nuts, so the flavor will be different but tasty in its own way.

Pine nuts are classically used in pesto and toasting them before you add them allows their flavor to shine. Looking for a great recipe? Try adding them to Food Network Kitchen's Basil Pesto recipe.

Italian pine nuts are considered the finest in the world and are therefore eye-wateringly expensive. To make cost savings, many big producers source their pine nuts from China. Not a big issue, you might think, but these pine nuts are notorious for leaving a metallic aftertaste for some people, and that can last weeks.

Genovese Basil

Also called sweet basil or sweet Genovese, this is the most common variety and what you'll find in those plastic packages at the supermarket. The oval-shaped leaves are about 2-3 inches long and have a strong aroma and peppery flavor. This is the classic choice for pesto, Caprese salad, and pizza.

Method. Toast the pistachio nuts in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat until they are a light brown colour. Keep them moving to prevent burning. Add basil leaves, Parmigiano Reggiano, garlic clove and a drizzle of oil to a pestle and mortar and grind until creamy.

The reason is because classic basil pesto contains pecorino and Parmigiano-Reggiano, which are both made from milk curdled in animal rennet. That means that most of the pesto sauces you see on supermarket shelves are not vegetarian.

What does pesto taste like? Traditional pesto is a thick, green sauce that tastes bright and herby from the basil, and salty and rich from the cheeses and pine nuts. It should be garlicky, with pleasant grassiness from good quality olive oil.

While you can use a variety of ingredients to make pesto, basil is a classic choice. But in this recipe, we're taking it up a notch by adding pistachio nuts instead of pine nuts. Pistachios give the pesto a nutty, buttery flavor that really makes it stand out.