Pesto in summer: Make it like the Italians

One of the unmistakable foods of summer is pesto. Why? Because basil is a summer crop, and because one needs a lot of it to make pesto - it’s too expensive to buy out of season. We have to wait for it show up.

My personal stash is almost gone. I freeze pesto in individual serving sizes, and pull it out as needed. It makes a fast and special meal out of something as plain as steamed veggies, roasted potatoes, polenta, fish or chicken, and, of course, pasta. Pesto, pasta. Even the words go together. Don’t cook the pesto, though, because the basil will turn bitter if heated.

So what is pesto? The roots of the word are Italian, from Genoa more specifically, and it means to crush or pound, as we do in a pestle with a mortar. The primary ingredient is basil, which is native to North Africa. It was a successful transplant to both Italy and France. In France it evolved into pistou, which is similar to the pesto we know, but without the pine nuts.

The Italian version includes basil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, grated hard cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano, pecorino), and salt if needed. This is an opportunity to use the fancy, expensive olive oil someone gave you. It’s worth using here because it will not be cooked, and the flavor can be appreciated. Some olive oils are tasted like wine - they have unique characteristics from the terroir, and are quite distinctive.

Some hints from an Italian grandmother: chop, don’t blend, the ingredients; use young basil leaves if you can get them.

Basic recipe (makes about a cup):

1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, washed and dried

3 medium cloves of fresh garlic

1 handful of raw pine nuts

cup freshly grated, hard cheese

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Chop some of the garlic and basil, then add more, chop, add more, chop until you have a fine mince. Add half the pine nuts, chop, add the rest, chop, add half the cheese, chop, add the rest of the cheese, chop. See the pattern? When the texture is fine, make a small cake and place it in a bowl; cover with the olive oil and let it sit until ready to use. Stir before using to incorporate the olive oil.

The stuff we see in stores sometimes is green and red, the latter color being from either sun dried tomatoes, or red peppers. Some commercial products substitute other nuts (which are less expensive) for the pine nuts, such as walnuts. It’s a matter of taste. I think the real thing includes none of these ingredients.

How can we even think about summer basil without including tomatoes? Is there a finer, more appealing dish than sliced, juicy, heirloom tomatoes layered with buffalo mozzarella, adorned with fresh basil leaves, drizzled with a beautiful olive oil, and decorated with rose sea salt and fresh, ground pepper?

The tomatoes are center stage, no doubt, and heirlooms can stand up to the fame. What are heirloom tomatoes, anyway? Well, it has to do with the seeds, and the way the plants are grown. Heirlooms are open-pollinated plants - not hybrid. This means they are true to seed - the fruit that grows from the seed planted will be just like its parents. People have enjoyed the same magnificent flavor from a Brandywine for as long as it has existed. You could save seeds from one and plant them to get the same varietal characteristics.

We are starting to see in-season tomatoes in the markets. If you can grow them, you are way ahead of the game. I’m finding that my plants are putting out lots of vegetative growth, and not so much fruit. The growing technique I was told by an Italian gardener is to water infrequently, but deeply, to put the plant into reproductive mode (producing seeds in the fruit). However, perhaps it is too dry here to accomplish that balance. I’m trying all kinds - cherry, plum, slicers. One can’t get enough, especially since they’re so easy to can, freeze, and dry.

I hope you’ll grow some of your own tomatoes and basil this summer. Some feedback about the upside-down tomato growing contraption that has been heavily advertised this season: I know three people for whom it did not work. Maybe the old-fashioned way is best.

Samaya Jones is a Holistic Nutritional Consultant and Natural Foods Personal Chef, who cooks for you and your guests in your home. She writes for health websites, newspapers, and teaches wine education classes. She can be reached at ncsamayaj@gmail.com.