Pesto and Poor Organisation Skills
Soundtrack: Salt Fat Acid Heat on Netflix
I don’t want to read your ramblings, I just want the recipe: Some version of this pesto (more or less)
Star Rating: Four Stars
I am significantly behind on my “make one recipe a week and write about it” project — the last post was from April 4th. This weekend marked my first full weekend at home since late July.
I had planned to make spinach and lemon polpette from Anna Jones but discovered my blender parts were left at work — a recurring pattern across multiple jobs and locations. Previous incidents included leaving a massive pot needed for 8-hour pulled pork at a Sydney studio apartment called “The Pod,” and more recently, blender components at my colleague’s place after cooking dinner.
Without my blender, I postponed that recipe. However, after a day involving flying and watching Bohemian Rhapsody with friends, I watched the first episode of Salt Fat Acid Heat, featuring an Italian woman making pesto with a mortar and pestle. Since all six ingredients (basil, garlic, hard cheese, olive oil, pine nuts, salt) were available, I decided to proceed.
I cannot eat dairy but tolerate limited goat and sheep cheese. I used pecorino — sheep parmesan — making this meal special.
Roughly chop basil and place in mortar, add oil and salt, crush with pestle until semi paste-like. Add finely diced garlic and lightly toasted pine nuts, continue grinding. Add grated cheese and blend further. Taste and conservatively adjust seasoning, as cheese continues breaking down. Cook pasta al dente, place pesto dollops in bowl, add pasta directly from water using tongs, mix thoroughly. I added lemon juice and freshly cracked black pepper.
I found the process therapeutic and was impressed by how few ingredients created such an impressive dish.