What to do with Pesto?

Hi all,

I made some homemade pesto yesterday. I made A LOT! I am giving half of it to my neighbor who so generously provided me with unlimited access to his fresh basil and oregano plants. I have already had pasta salad made with pesto, pesto chicken wraps, spaghetti with pesto, and bruschetta. I was hoping to make something with poached to fried eggs (or froached...thanks Jenise!)and pesto...any ideas? Anybody have a great recipe that requires pesto?

btw, I made the pesto with roasted garlic and toasted pine nuts (and of course EVOO, parm, some garlic salt and lemon juice).

Hi all,

I made some homemade pesto yesterday. I made A LOT! I am giving half of it to my neighbor who so generously provided me with unlimited access to his fresh basil and oregano plants. I have already had pasta salad made with pesto, pesto chicken wraps, spaghetti with pesto, and bruschetta. I was hoping to make something with poached to fried eggs (or froached...thanks Jenise!)and pesto...any ideas? Anybody have a great recipe that requires pesto?

btw, I made the pesto with roasted garlic and toasted pine nuts (and of course EVOO, parm, some garlic salt and lemon juice).

White beans.

Eggs, yes. I'm thinking a fritatta with pesto swirled in after the eggs are added to the pan.

Add a dollop in a bowl of vegetable soup to make an analog of the Provencal soup, pistou.

What Stuart said. Pesto in vegetable soup makes the most delicious bit of spring and summer your mouth can have.

Oh and don't forget pizza with pesto and goat cheese.

All of the above and then burgers, too.

Maria,
We always seem to wind up with industrial quantities of our fresh pesto also. We've had good luck freezing a bunch in those small cupcake/cake baking cups and storing in freezer bags.
Redwinger

All the above plus white fish. Haddock and even the lowly flounder come to new life with a drollop of Pesto.

Pesto and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Make a sauce of cream, pesto, chopped sun dried tomatoes, grated or shaved parmesan cheese, and chopped prosciutto. Toss warm pasta in the sauce to coat well. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is one of our faves.

And yes, if you still have some left, freeze it. I use ice cube trays.

Thanks everyone! These are fantastic ideas. And I am definitely going to freeze some as well.

All the above plus white fish. Haddock and even the lowly flounder come to new life with a drollop of Pesto.

Thanks Carl...this suggestion also helps with my dilemma about what to do with my Haddock!

this suggestion also helps with my dilemma about what to do with my Haddock!

Try two aspirin.


Thanks, folks, you're a wonderful audience. I'm here through Saturday!

Been feeling a little crabby lately, been reeling, so I think I'll skipjack my school Friday and skate on in to catch your act with a grouper two just for the halibut. Seviche?

When we've got lots of pesto?

Pesto Chicken w/ potatoes. Rub pesto into a whole chicken (inside & out) and bake. Treat the potatoes the same way.

Richard

Spread some on flattened piece of pork tenderloin. Roll up jelly-roll style and secure with toothpicks and grill. I added parm and more pine nuts.

[Jenise]

All of the above, plus: come winter, make mashed potatoes one night from baked potatoes. Reserve the skins, having left a bit of potato flesh on them, brush them with olive oil and broil until crisp, then spread the interiors with pesto and top with crumbled bits of broiled-crisp proscuitto and slivers of green onion.

Hey everyone! I just wanted to let you know I have tried several of these recipes already and everything was so delicious. I made that leftover haddock last night (I slathered on the pesto, let it marinate for 30 min and then cooked it in a foil pack for 20 min and it was absolutely awesome...thanks Carl. I served that with the pesto potato skins that Jenise recommended...also very yummy!

The day before I made an egg dish that came out wonderful. I buttered a piece of Italian bread and fried it. Then I spread on the pesto, topped that with some thin sliced deli ham, and a poached egg...it was great!

For dinner I made the Pesto pasta with the sun dried tomatoes that Cynthia recommended. Wow...I could seriously eat it EVERY meal. It was sooo good.

I froze several batches and can't wait to use it during the winter in soup. Thanks everyone for all your suggestions...still need to try the rest of these recipes!

One more, try adding it to green vegetables. Doesn't make sense from a color standpoint, but flavor-wise I find it goes well with okra and green beans.

Walt

What? nobody mentioned swirling it into a light risotto?

I make a standard issue risotto, with either a light chicken broth or a vegetable broth, hold the saffron, and instead drop in a few blops of pesto right at the end of the cooking time, before it comes to the table.

It's a nice change of pace from spaghetti.

What?! Nobody mentioned getting a spoon and eating it out of the jar? What's wrong with you people?

rwj