I love Pesto
 

Great on sandwiches, pasta, fish and now I've had it on pizza! Any other creative uses?

Don't know where you've located - is that Venice Italy, or the 21 Table at the Venetian?! Anyway, the Cheese Store of Beverly Hills has a Marcona Almond version (instead of the usual pine nuts), which is to die for! One of the employee's Italian family makes it by hand - gone through 2 tubs of it already! Trying to be healthy, I dip carrot sticks in it...

Me too. I made some last night.

A link to the picture

I mixed it with pasta and some mama lil's hot pepper rings.

Sometimes I use it as a dipping sauce for artichoke leaves. I am intrigued by a pistachio pesto I just ran across in the new chocolate and zuchinni cookbook.

I like basil, but for me, pesto is an example of too much of a good thing. :(

Pesto also tastes great with potatoes: baked or mashed (my son's favorite food as a toddler).^

Thank you! I will try it out.

mmmm, that looks good, I feel like dipping some potato chips into that :).

We use to make it by the case, freeze it, and devour it all year, than felt the oil and cheese may need a bit of cutting back. We would freeze it both in jars and ice cube sized, so it was always there.

pasta
added to soups
spread on sandwiches
spread as a flavor layer on things like stuffed mushrooms
excellent as a coating to grill fish
On potatoes
as a flavor layer in stuffed or rolled chicken things
Coating for roasting a turkey (get under the skin)
mixed with the ricotta for lasagna

or one of my favorites

on a tablespoon.


Still enjoy it, just not in the same quantities as in the past.

For me either on bread or pasta, don't like it anywhere else. Important: a lot of garlic

To add to cordelli's fine list

mixed in with rice


I enjoy freshly made pesto, but my husband likes all kinds, even the ready made sludge from a jar. He's working odd shifts at the moment and likes to keep some handy in case he gets hungry at 2am. He often mixes it with tuna before stirring it in with the rice.


Pesto and 'Mock Pasta'
Occasionally I like freshly made pesto with courgette/zuchini slices. I slice very slender courgettes into long thin strips (with a mandolin, potato peeler, daikon slicer or Dutch cheese slicer) and salt them in a colander for 20 minutes or so to 'firm up'. Then I drop them into boiling water for no more than two minutes and refresh quickly with cold water. This way they become kind of like a 'mock pasta', like ultra fat tagliatelli. The cooked courgette then gets tossed in with some pesto. Makes a lovely summer starter or side dish.

A great way for those who are intolerant to wheat/gluten to enjoy pesto. The zuchini should be slender enough not to have too many seeds in the middle - as these just turn to mush when you boil them.

Pesto,houmus,crispy fried bacon and avocado in a pita sandwich.
Then sit back and listen to your arteries harden !

A slightly different Pesto recipe
 

I thought i'd offer this slightly different pesto recipe. I tried it a few months ago and have since made it more times than i can count.

The recipe says it serves 4, but I generally make half and it still is way too much sauce - but either way, delicious!:p

1 c. pine nuts
1 c. finely grated Parmesan cheese
10 fresh parsley leaves
1 1/4 c. olive oil
2 c. packed fresh basil leaves
Two 28-oz cans whole, peeled tomatoes, chopped
8 oz onions, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 pound rigatoni
pinch of sugar
coarse salt

1) Place pine nuts, Parmesan, parsley, pinch of salt and 1 cup olive oil in food processor. Pulse until combined. Add basil and continue to pulse until mixture is smooth. Set aside.

2) Heat remaining 1/4 c. olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add onions, carot, celery and sugar. Cook until softened, about 6 - 8 min. Add tomatoes and cook until thickened, about 25 min.

3) Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt and return to boil. Add pasta and cook per package directions. Drain pasta. Set aside.

4) Puree tomato mixture through a food mill into pot. Place pot over low heat and add pesto. Add pasta. Toss to combine. Serve immediately.

I've kept some sauce separately and re-heated it a few days later. It's still tasty!

Absolutely agree for pasta! ^

That is so tasty and soothing.

I like making one pasta recipe that uses pesto, sun-dried tomatos and cubes of mozzerella all over bowtie pasta.