Go Nuts for Basil Pistachio Pesto!

Basil pistachio pesto is a tasty variation of the traditional basil pine nut pesto that we all know and love. It's easy to make and pairs well with mortadella. After you make it once, you may never make pesto with pine nuts again.

Basil Pistachio PestoPhoto by2foodtrippers

We love the combination of mortadella and pistachio and we're not alone. Italians in Bologna have been producing mortadella studded with pistachio for over a century. When we were last in Naples and surrounding Campania cities, we couldn't stop eating pizzas topped with mortadella and pisatchio pesto. Once we got home, we decided to try the combination with pasta.

But first, we had to learn how to make pistachio pesto. In lieu of starting from scratch and running test after test, we took the easy route and modeled our basil pistachio pesto recipe after Marcella Hazan's touchstone pesto recipe. We found the recipe in her iconic cookbook Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. It's a book that we use often - our 'bible' for cooking Italian cuisine.

Hazan offers two variations of her classic Ligurian-based pesto recipe - one method using a food processor and the other using a mortar and pestle. While it's certainly easier to make pesto in a food processor, we chose to go 'old school' and embrace the mortar and pestle method. While the food processor produces an excellent product, the flavor difference between the two methods is striking.

The mortar method produces a pesto that's dramatically flavor forward with complex flavors of basic, garlic, olive oil and cheeses remarkably present. Sure, it takes a little more elbow grease but, with the right equipment, using a mortar and pestle produces a product that rivals any Genovese grandma's pesto. And, with the substitution of pistachios, the pesto is as green as a spring meadow. That being said, if you're keen to use a food processor, we provide instructions for that method too.

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed)
• 3 tablespoons pistachios (roasted and unsalted)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup olive oil (extra virgin)
• coarse sea salt (to taste - a generous pinch)
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (grated - you can substitute grana padano)
• 3 teaspoons Pecorino Romano cheese (grated - no substitutions)
• 3 tablespoons butter (softened - optional)

While any Italian kitchen should have these ingredients , you may need to buy one or more of the following items:

• Pistachios (roasted and without salt) - Blanch the pistachios for a minute and a half to remove the thin inner husks. Once blanched, the peels come off easily after the nuts are rolled in a tea towel.
• Basil - Use the freshest available basil to produce pesto with a verdant green color. While basil is typically available year round in most grocery stores, it's sometimes difficult to find in the winter months.
• Garlic Cloves - Peel the garlic cloves by cutting off the rough stem end and crushing them lightly with the flat side of a knife or your palm.
• Coarse salt - Add a generous pinch and adjust for more only after you've added the cheese.
• Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese - You can substitute grana-padano here but, since pesto is a raw product, stay away from cheap imitations.
• Pecorino-Romano Cheese - Hazan probably added this addition for it's 'sheepy' flavor. In lieu of pecorino, you can add a couple extra teaspoons of parmigiano.
• Olive Oil - Once again, because this is a raw recipe, it's best to add the good stuff. Use the finest, most reasonably priced cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil that you can find.
• Butter - We don't know why Hazan chose to add butter to this recipe but it adds a certain richness that we adore, especially when mixed with pasta. If you're looking to reduce calories, you can certainly leave it out. Make sure the butter is softened.

How To Make Basil Pistachio Pesto

This recipe, if you're using the mortar and pestle method, requires a bit of elbow grease and patience. However, once the pesto comes together, it's a glorious thing. The key is to have a good mortar and pestle.

There are two keys in a good mortar and pestle: 1. The mortar needs ample space so the ingredients don't fall over the rim. 2. The pestle needs good weight to crush the ingredients.

We were lucky to receive a Milton Brook 6 1/2" mortar and pestle as a gift many years ago. It has a wide bowl, a stain resistant surface and a stone pestle with plenty of weight. If you're looking to buy a mortar and pestle, this one may seem pricey but it's highly versatile and will last for years.

Start the recipe by removing the pistachios from their shells. Once they're shelled, blanch them in boiling water for a minute and a half

Immediately roll the blanched pistachios in a tea towel or rough dish cloth. The husks should remove easily.

Place the basil, garlic, husked pistachios and salt in the mortar. Pound the garlic, basil and salt on the bottom until everything is sufficiently crushed. Crush all the ingredients by spinning the pestle against the side of the mortar until a rough paste forms.

Once you've formed the basil/garlic/salt paste, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Hazan says to add the cheese at this step but, in our view, this isn't necessary. Continue to add the olive oil in a thin stream. Mix with a wooden spoon in a circular motion until everything is incorporated.

Once the olive oil is incorporated, add the butter. (This is an optional step.)

Once the olive oil and optoinal butter are incorporated, add the two grated cheeses. They should mix in easily with a spoon.

The pesto is now ready. You can store some or all of it for up to a week in a plastic container. It's important to line the top of the pesto with plastic wrap so that the pesto retains its verdant green color.

Food Processor Instructions

You can use a food processor or mini-prep to make basil pistachio pesto if you don't want to use a mortar and pestle. Just be aware that the slicing motion will modestly compromise the flavors that the mashing motion achieves.

Follow the steps of the recipe, using a food processor instead of a mortar and pestle, until you add the olive oil. Once you've drizzled in the olive oil, remove the raw pesto from the food processor and pour it into a separate bowl. Once the pesto is in the bowl, mix in the grated cheese. Follow the same steps for storage.

Ways To Use Basil Pistachio Pesto

There are so many ways that you can use basil pistachio pesto. Here are a few ideas:

• On Bruschetta
• With Eggs
• In Pasta Salad
• As a Dip
• In Pasta
• As a Pizza Topping

This recipe was originally published on 2foodtrippers. Consider subscribing to 2foodtrippers if you enjoyed it.