Classic Pesto

I love basil. In fact, I think it wouldn't be a stretch to say I'm obsessed with it. I use it in all my Italian savory dishes. Tonight, for dinner, I've a craving pasta tossed with a good pesto sauce.

Pesto means to pound or crush. It's traditionally made with a mortar and pestle. But it can be made in the food processor or blender.

As usual, I prefer the simple, most classic, recipe for this.

And in keeping with my usual style, I like to make a lot so that I can freeze it for another day. So you might wish to halve the recipe.

And don't tell my mother, but I cheat and make mine in a blender because I don't have a food processor or a mortar and pestle. I'll get around to getting these items one day. Sigh.

PESTO SAUCE

8 cups basil leaves, well packed
8 to 10 cloves garlic, lightly crushed and peeled
1 cup pine nuts
1 cup walnuts
3 cups freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino cheese
3 cups extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Grind until it is a paste.

Stir pesto into drained pasta while still hot.

Garnish with extra cheese and crushed pine nuts.

Enjoy!

Preserving Basil

I don't know what it is about basil, but it is definitely my most favourite spice during the summer. It's rich peppery taste really enhances the taste of tomatoes, pastas, and many other favourite dishes.

Yesterday, while visiting my cousin Emily, we asked her father, my uncle Pete, to bring us a few leaves of basil and Italian parsley He is an avid gardener and at this time of year, his garden is brimming with the season's very best vegetables. Well, he brought more than a few leaves. I think he brought us a pound of each - enough to fill to overflowing a shopping bag.

Therefore, today I will have to preserve them.

Here's how my family does it.

First, we blanch the leaves for two seconds in boiling water, then drain and rinse them immediately with ice cold water. If you have a salad spinner, then spin the leaves dry. If not, simply pat the leaves dry with paper towel. Stack the leaves in bundles. Wrap them in paper towel. The bundles are the size of small hotdog and fits in the palm of your hand. Wrap each of thesee bundles in foil. Seal them in a ziplock freezer bag and they're good for a year.

Use in cooking as you would fresh basil leaves, but, cup for cup, frozen leaves are more compact than fresh ones, so use a little less than the recipe calls for.

Bread, Olive Oil and Grapes

Ah, the memories of summer. When I was a child, my mother used to often interrupt our play to bring us snacks. She made bread once a week and on that day, she would slice a fresh loaf, spread it with a light brushing of olive oil and a tiny bit of salt. Then she would either slice grapes on top of it or bring the grapes to us in a small side dish.

I can't tell you what it is about this snack, but the three ingredients together are outstanding. It is a marriage of taste that explodes on your tastebuds.

To this day, I make myself this snack, even though it's never as good as my mom used to make.

But it's healthy and simple and quick. It's a wonderful taste of Italy that is sure to impress!

Garpey's Crab Dip

My brother-in-law, Gary, is a fantastic cook. If there's someone in this world who knows good food, it's Gary. Just this weekend, he made an awesome dip and everyone at the party was raving about it. Needless to say, he got many requests for the recipe, including one from me. Fair warning - it's very garlicky, so if you're not a garlic fanatic like me, then you might want to reduce the number of cloves. But this is worth a try and was a great hit!

Ingredients:

1 Package cream cheese
½ Cup of sour cream
¼ Cup of Mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
1 Can of artichoke hearts chopped fine
1 Can of crab meat
½ to ¾ Cup of parmesan cheese
Dash of salt
Pinch of white pepper (I tend to add a bit more than a pinch!)
6-8 Cloves of pressed garlic
Slivered almonds-on top

Directions:

Mix cream cheese and sour cream well.
Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well
Cover the top of the dip with slivered almonds
Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Enjoy!

Panettone (Bread Machine)

Panettone is a traditional Italian bread that is most prevalent during Christmas and Easter. My mother's kitchen always emitted the beautiful aroma of this bread before these holidays and she would make them to give away as gifts to friends and neighbors.

Here is my favourite recipe for the breadmaker.

3 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup candied mixed peel and citron
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs beaten
2 egg yolks beaten
1/2 cup butter softened
1 teaspoon anise extract
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 teaspoons each of grated orange and lemon peel
2 teaspoons yeast

Mix 1 tbsp of the flour with raisins, candied peel and citron. Add milk, eggs, butter, anise, sugar, salt, orange and lemon peels in bread machine pan or proceed as per manufacturer's instructions. Turn on machine and set to normal/basic bread setting, choosing light colour setting if available. Sprinkl reserved fruit mixture into machine when fruit alarm sounds or just as second kneading is ending. Makes one 1 1/2 lb. loaf.