What can i use pesto in?!
Answers: Now I know this sounds lame but i have never used pesto before and after recently trying it want to add it to some dishes. If anyone has any recipes I would be very grateful
Tossed through linguine - add some slightly squashed cherry tomatoes and you have a perfect light meal.
It's gorgeous just used as a dip or spread - try serving it with crostini or slices of toasted baguette. Or Melba toast (is that what it's called? Anyway those superhandy little crispy toast crackers)
Try using to stuff chicken - using a sharp knife, poke a hole in the side of a chicken breast and waggle the knife tip back and forth to create a pocket - stuff this with just pesto, or with pesto and cream cheese.
As a sandwich topping - pesto and chicken are a classic cafe panini filling.
I haven't tried it, but I've been thinking of using it to coat my roast chicken - just lifting the skin and sliding pesto underneath against the meat.
Use it on stir-fried veggies - once they're cooked, just add a healthy dollop and stir through and serve immediately.
Use as a topping for baked fish - cod is perfect for this, just lay out the fillets in an oiled roasting pan, dollop pesto on top and oven-bake.
Use as a garnish for soup - looks absolutely mindblowing swirled with cream on top of home-made tomato soup.
As a pizza sauce (again with chicken on top), or as a stuffing for foccacia (roll out the bread, smear pesto over the top, roll it back up again and bake.
The classic pesto is olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan or romano cheese and basil, but it's also often made with cashew nuts, capsicum, sundried tomatoes... It's so versatile.
If you're really stuck for ideas just get a teaspoon and get stuck in. :-p
You can buy lovely stuff, but if you have a blender, or even a hand blender, it's easy enough to make yourself, and adjust to suit your tastes.
http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/00...
http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/3334...
And try these for specific recipe ideas:
http://busycooks.about.com/od/recipesbyi...
http://www.apinchof.com/pesto1050.html
It tastes really good in sandwiches and pizza.
Anything Italian. It's great on pizza's, pasta's, salads.
Try different things and see how you like it.
Lou x
pasta, pizza, wraps, veggies, sauce for fish, just google it
Its really nice when added to plain pasta with lots of butter.
Beside using pesto on pasta, you can use it in omlets, on pizza and sandwiches, or mix it with a good Greek yogurt to make a dip.
Oh it's so versatile. Pasta dishes, chicken sauces,fish,and on toasted garlic bread. Experiment with it.
Spread it on a ciabatta with ripe sliced tomatoes and good quality mozzarella cheese.
Either eat it cold or for a real treat, toast it to make a panini - all hot and drippy! yum!!!
I love pesto, mix it with some cream cheese for pasta with some mushrooms and olives. I put it in everything!! pesto mayonaise is lovely and anything with tomatoes in it. enjoy
Pesto can be used in a variety of ways. Depending on which pesto type you use depends on how to use it.
Green Basil pesto is particularly great with chicken, fish and vegetables, if mixed, to your taste, simply with double cream a splash of water and then gently heated. Seasoned to taste and used as a sauce.
You can use it as a marinade, adding some additional garlic if desired. The classic of adding to cooked pasta. Or mixing with a tomato based pasta sauce, not store bought.
It is very versatile. Experiment with it, and enjoy.
We've used it as a dip before, lovely.
Pesto pasta is my favorite. You take some noodles (i usually use penne for this) and toss the pesto sauce into it will a little olive oil. Also you can fry up some veggies on the side (zuccini, shredded carrot, onion, etc.) and toss into the pasta too.
Pesto Pizza RecipeIngredients
MMMMMDOUGH
1 tbsp Active dry yeast
1 cup Warm water
1 tsp Salt
2 tbsp Sweetener
1/4 cup Olive oil
1 cup White flour
3 cup Whole wheat flour
MMMMMPESTO TOPPING
2 cup Basil, densely packed fresh
1/4 cup Pine nuts
2 Garlic cloves, large
Zest from 1 lemon
1/3 cup Olive oil
MMMMMVEGETABLE TOPPING
12 oz Marinated artichoke hearts
3 large Tomatoes, sliced thinly
1 cup Zucchini, thinly sliced
1/4 cup Pine nuts
Directions
DOUGH: Combine yeast, sweetener & warm water. Whisk in salt & oil &
let sit for 10 minutes. Add flours, 1/2 c at a time & knead for 10
minutes, adding more flour as necessary. Let rise for an hour.
Deflate by punching down the dough.
PESTO TOPPING: Process basil, pine nuts, garlic & zest in food
processor till smooth. With blender running, drizzle in the oil to
form a thick paste.
TO ASSEMBLE: Sprinkle 10" X 15" baking sheet with cornmeal. Place
dough in centre & press out from the centre till the baking sheet is
covered with dough. Spread dough with a thin layer of pesto. Arrange
artichoke hearts, tomato slices & zucchini evenly over the pizza. Dot
with more pesto & sprinkle with pine nuts. Bake at 375F for 20
minutes or till the crust is well cooked & browned.
manicotti. It's delish!
oh,and pretty much anything involving pasta or a tomato-based sauce.
Yum!
check out Kraftfoods.com for a manicotti recipe that includes pesto. My kids love it, and it's the only reason I keep pesto in my house.
Enjoy Cooking!
Mama JK
Pesto is great with grilled chicken, mushrooms and pasta. You can also use it as a spread for sandwiches or paninis. I always keep it in the fridge.
You can also make it into a dip with mayonaise, sour cream and artichokes. Mix everything up and heat it. You can dip with tortillas or pita points.
first of all i will say pesto is so easy to use so where shall i starded if i was you i will make this beautifull starter whit mozzarella grill and tomato grill ,just cook gently the tomato on the grill o in the oven whit some pesto around the tomato and then in a very hot pan cook the mozzarella (preferible if is scamorza) add just some salt and pepper this will take second once is ready assemble the dhish whit pesto in the bottom and some rocket dressed whit pesto and then put the tomato on top the rocket and then the mozzarella sprinkle some olive oil and pepper .perfect o you also could do a starter whit sloow cook vine cherry tomato (cooked in oven loow gas whit some balsamic vinegar,until tender) and some cherry mozzarella dressed whit a lot of pesto ,if you dont like mozzarella you could use roast vegetable instead which also they going very well in sandwiches whit pesto.
for main course you could make gnocchi of potato (dumplings pasta) whit cream and pesto ,after cook the pasta salted the pasta whit sauce (for the sauce reduce some cream doawn and add pesto ,i will suggest make i little be liquidi because the pasta will abssorbe all the sauce ,you can also do a nice liguine whit prawns and vine cherry tomato in sweet chily sauce ,cook the prawns for little second until tender and then cook the tomato in the oven whit sweet chily sauce and when they are ready mix the proawns and the tomato whit sauce toghetar then cook the pasta and when this is ready tossed whit pesto (use some of cooking water for loose the pesto and then mix all the ingredient and done.
i must say lot of fish they going well whit pesto for example if you make a tuna nicoise marineted the fish whit pesto and then you could dressed the salad for the fish whit a little be of pesto insead for meeat i will suggested to make a pesto butter (to make the butter blitz pesto and butter [if i was you i will add some anjovy] all in a blender an then shape and freeze ,you could use your butter on some chichen wrapped in parma ham and asparagus a easy dish to make but impressive flavours for anythink let me now how did you go,ciao
Stuff chicken breasts with it
pizza, pasta, roasted veggies, bread, sandwich with pancetta and good provolone. make home made pesto, so easy and much better than store bought
Mix with mayonnaise, makes for a very nice dip, although my daughter loves it over her chips as a sauce.
Pesto...has so many uses. Here is a list off the top of my head for pestos made with herbs (usually basil) or sun-dried tomatoes.
-spread on bread when making a sandwich or roasted turkey
-mix with mayo for making a sandwich with any meat
-stir in a teaspoon or two into hot pasta with a little olive oil.
-add a tablespoon or two to a jar of Alfredo, then use that for pasta.
-mix with cream cheese for a tasty spread on a bagel or crackers
-rub and herb pesto all over a chicken or fish, then roast the it.
-mix with mayo, rub it all over a piece of salmon, then bake the salmon (skin down if a fillet). Mayo will keep it very moist, and pesto adds great flavor.
-layer it thickly on top of cream cheese for a more intense cracker spread.
-coat cut potatoes with it, then roast them.