Hey Pesto!

Developed and mastered over many years in Northern Italy, pesto has very humble beginnings and today it’s an unknown super food snack eaten everywhere. I did some digging into what made pesto, pesto and what it was that made it so healthy. The primary ingredient basil is an antioxidant and is used to treat stress the Eastern world. Olive oil is a good fat, known to reduce cholesterol levels in the blood and for skincare, all over the world. Pine nuts contain vitamins A, C and D and fight free radicals in the body, preventing long term illness. They are also high in protein and magnesium. Garlic is known for reducing blood pressure and protecting the heart. The health benefits of these ingredients are endless, and make pesto that much better!

I have done a basic pesto blend here, but tastes and diets are always so varied, so I have included a table with some popular alternatives. All alternatives have been taken from historical and modern dietary recipes. You can use pesto with pasta, meats and salads – whatever you need really.

Sauces and dips are best made with pure intuition, so use the recipe as a guide, so taste, smell and touch; it’s really all about what flavors you enjoy more. Pesto can be stored in air tight jars, sealed with olive oil. The shelf life is generally one to two weeks, refrigerated. Alternatively you can freeze pesto!

Ingredients

Serves four

2 bunches basil

2 cloves of garlic

¼ cup pine nuts

¼ cup walnuts

½ cup parmesan cheese

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

There are secrets to ignite huge flavors in a pesto. The first is to start by blanching your basil leaves in salted water. Do so by pouring boiling water through basil in a colander, then shocking into ice cold water. This helps the basil retain its freshness. You can use either a pulse blender or a mortar pestle. Start by pulsing your basil, follow by adding half the olive oil. The second secret to a great pesto is to toast your nuts slightly, to bring out the warmth and depth in flavour. Add to the blender with garlic and cheese and pulse again. Finish by stirring through lemon, salt and pepper to taste. You may need to add the remaining olive oil. Be sure to use good olive oil for taste.

Grilled Corn Mexican Style

 One of my favorite restaurants in NYC is the cool Café Habana, where the waitresses’ sass matches the food. The café was inspired by the original, still operating in Mexico. In the heart of Soho, this small gem is an experience as much as it is a destination. It’s tiny and there’s always a wait, but it’s all completely worth it in the end. When friends come to visit, it’s a must on the to-go list. My two picks on the menu are the Cuban sandwich (with rice and beans) and the grilled corn. Café Habana was actually voted to have the best Cuban sandwich in NYC – IT’S TRUE. There is a Hispanic cheese that is used for the dish traditionally, however for the purpose of accessibility I’m keeping the cheese option wide open.  

 Hot sauce is amazing with this dish too, really, really amazing. The original recipe uses lime too. But this is optional

 

Ingredients

Serves two

2 corn in husk

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp mayonnaise

½ cup cheese

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions

Bring water to boil and add butter and salt. Shortly after, add corn and cook for seven minutes. Once cooked, let corn stand to dry then grill all sides until corn starts to blacken to your liking. Follow by pasting mayonnaise onto the corn, coating liberally. Coat corn in cheese of choice then broil/grill until cheese is well melted. Dash with cayenne and salt to taste. 

French Onion Soup

The art of perfecting this dish isn't overly difficult; it’s all in the timing.

French onion soup is a dish that dates back as far as Roman times. The modern day version, as we know it came to life in France, originally as a peasant’s dish, as onions were cheap and in surplus.

Combing butter, sugar, wine, cheese and bread, this dish marries many pleasures and creates a decadent dish that nobody will ever say no to!

Ingredients

Serves four – six people

1.5 Pounds of Onions

1 Cup of Salted Butter

½ Cup Raw Brown Sugar

1 Small Garlic Clove

½ Cup Sherry

¼ Cup Bourbon

3 Cups of Beef Stock

Stale Crusty Bread

2 Tbsp Flour

2 Cups of Gruyere Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

As important as the flavors are, texture is equally important; when dicing the onions, cut them in half, the slice long ways to achieve long pieces. As the onions do soften and break down and being the only ingredient, it’s quite nice to have the longer pieces.

 

Melt the butter into a pot, once heated, cook onions and garlic for 15 – 20 minutes. The onions must be well browned. Do not add salt at this point, there is enough in the butter and despite much debate about the pros of sweating the onions, it’s better for a long cooking process for them to retain as much juice as possible. After this add the sugar and caramelize the onions. Onions have a naturally occurring sugar and caramelizing with brown sugar adds a wonderful mellow flavor that pairs well against the saltiness of the remaining ingredients.

Once caramelized, add both alcohols and cook for 5 minutes until the initial alcohol has cleared. After, add the flour to the onions and cook through to remove the taste of flour. Once done, add the beef stock and stir well and leave to stew for an hour on a low heat. This is one of the most important things to pay attention to, the soup flavors need to meld and good soup takes time.

Grate the cheese and slice thick pieces of crusty bread. Gruyere cheese has the consistency of mozzarella with the taste of a full bodied cheese; it’s a win-win. If you don’t have Gruyere, mixing mozzarella with a strong cheese of your choice is a perfect substitute. Next, toast the bread until it is crisp.

After an hour of cooking, the soup should be thick and rich with texture and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste then place the soup in soup ramekins that are oven friendly. The soup should be thick enough to hold the bread and cheese on top. Once dished, melt under a grill or broil until the cheese is well browned and melting ridiculously over the edges.

Baked Brie and Vine Ripened Tomatoes