
I trust everyone had a fun and safe St. Patrick's Day. Did anyone make braised lamb shanks? Please email us with your comments on how well you were able to execute the recipe and how much you and your family enjoyed the Irish goodness of braised lamb with rosemary.
As we make the transition from winter to spring, we are going to feature another ingredient that comes fresh from Tommy Walsh's herb garden: SWEET BASIL. This native of India and Asia has been cultivated for more than 5000 years, and lays claim as the most popular herb for cooking, particularly in Mediterranean and Italian cooking. Around 400 BC the spice traders brought basil to the Italian Riviera, and a small town named Liguria in Italy laid claim to the birthplace of Pesto. The Ligurian's combined other local ingredients that were plentiful, including pine nuts, olive oil, garlic and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and blended them into pesto. The locals simply tossed this wonderful concoction in fresh cooked pasta and instantly created a legend.
We also love pesto with pasta, and have found some other great uses for it as well. We substitute pumpkinseeds for pine nuts and cilantro for basil and create a PUMPKINSEED PESTO that we use as a spread for our grilled Panini sandwiches on Ciabatta bread. Most nuts can be substituted as well as your favorite fresh herbs, spinach and even sun-dried tomatoes. Of course the purists will cry foul, but have fun, that is after all what cooking is all about.
Recipe for Sweet Basil Pesto
Fun Facts and Tips
- A fine wine to serve with pesto is Pinot Grigio.
A fine Pinot Grigio toast is: "Rain makes the vines grow, the vine makes the wine flow, O Lord! Let it rain!"
- Toss pesto with your favorite cooked and chilled pasta with grilled vegetables for a wonderful and healthy PASTA SALAD PRIMAVERA.
Chef Christopher has been operating the Cobblestone Café and A Culinary Celebration Catering for 10 years now, and he and his wife Elizabeth are excited about the restaurant's new location in the County Line Plaza in Tequesta. If you have any questions or comments about this journal or executing a recipe, please email to: chef@aculinarycelebration.com.