Pesto from Beet Greens

                                     Beet green pesto is a serious competitor for the basil version

If you’re hesitating at all about the possibility of making pesto from the green tops of beets, don’t.   First, a much higher proportion of a beet’s nutritional value is found in its upper green top (think mega antioxidant Vitamins C, A and K, along with minerals and lots of fiber).   Equally important, however, beet green pesto is stunningly delicious and gives the traditional basil version a serious run for its money.

Beets in a rainbow of colors are plentiful in autumn, winter and even spring months.  Regardless of color or variety, the beets’ upper greens all make divine pesto.   Beet green pesto can be used exactly like conventional pesto in pastas, sides, or even mains.  That being said, here are some of my favorite ways:

• During the cold months when tomatoes are not at their best, I make a version of Caprese using cool-weather beets in their place, goat cheese rather than mozzarella, and beet green pesto: same color profile, but a whole new flavor spectrum…equally compelling.

• Changing up my avocado toast by substituting a dollop of beet pesto & some sun-dried tomatoes.

• Swirling a small amount in a bowl of hummus—it looks beautiful and perfectly compliments the complex hummus flavors.

• Since I have the beets, why not use them in an open-faced vegan sandwich with and beet green pesto?

· 

Drum roll please for the recipe!

~ 5 well-packed cups of beet greens

~ ¼ cup walnuts (brown them in a pan stovetop to give more depth of flavor)

~ 1/3 cup Parmiggiano-Reggiano, grated

~ 2-3 cloves of garlic (depending on size)

~ 1 teaspoon of lemon zest

~ 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

~ 1-2 anchovy fillets (or salt to taste…but the anchovy provides a definite depth of flavor)

~ ½ cup of EVOO

 

Directions:

Mix everything but the EVOO in a blender or food processor.  Once thoroughly blended, dribble in oil, teaspoon by teaspoon with engine running, to well incorporate the oil.

 

Have a green & healthy New Year!

Eat, Sip, Relax: the Italian Riviera

I planned to be on Italian Riviera this week with three friends for a week of R&R at a glorious villa with forever views...until the EU banned Americans.   To honor this "lost week," I am writing about the experience I was to have had....and am spending the week cooking meals to pay hommage this trip. 

 Extending from the French border to Tuscany, the Italian Riviera was to have been a perfect spot to overcome jet lag.   With the exception of the Cinque Terre and the city of Genoa, this 200 mile coastline (known as Liguria to Italians) is dotted with romantic fishing villages, sandy beaches, and dramatic rocky cliffs.  Hillsides are covered with basil, rosemary, thyme and marjoram…all of which provide the fragrance of the Ligurian kitchen.  While we’ve come to relax, we're all serious foodies who have also come to partake of the region’s delicious cuisine and its glorious white wine, Vermentino.

                    Trofie, a hand-rolled twisted pasta, with pesto is a classical Ligurian specialty

One of the foods that places Liguria in Italy’s Gastronomic Hall of Fame is pesto.  Pesto was invented in Liguria and the region’s small leaf basil has a cult following.

Is this local basil variety the reason why pesto always tastes so better on the Italian Rivera?   Or, is the reason the fact that many Ligurian chefs add walnuts to the mix of pine nuts?   Liguria’s prized olive oil (used by many Michelin star chefs) may also have a bearing--it’s much more delicate and sweeter than other Italian oils.  Perhaps, however, it’s the Riviera's drop-dead gorgeous seaviews and smell of the cool Mediterranean air that make eating a bowl of pesto pasta so pleasurable? 

                                            Foccaceria's often specialize in certain toppings

A close runner-up for catapulting the Italian Riviera into Italy's shrine for gastronomy is focaccia.   Like pesto, focaccia has Ligurian roots.  Visit the town of Recco and you’ll be welcomed by a huge sign proudly declaring it the place where focaccia was first created.  Walk into a foccacceria and one often finds a mesmerizing selection (the best are cooked in wood-fired ovens) such as carmelized onion, olive, cheese, fresh Ligurian anchovies, sun-dried tomato…and of course, pesto.

                           Nightly "aperitivos" on the villa's terrace will have to wait for another time

The perfect pairing for both pesto and focaccia is a glass of Vermentino.  I’ve written too many articles to count on this seductive Ligurian white varietal.   Reminiscent of a Sauv Blanc without the grassy herbaceous notes, Vermentino offers a luscious citrus profile...mixed with stone fruit (think peach), floral scents, and a characteristic almond nuance.   Vermentino screams the Italian Riviera.

                                      Amaretti are small, addictive almond biscuit-like treats

Ready for a delectable Ligurian dessert?  One of the most famous Italian sweets is amaretti.  In my mind, Liguria’s rendition is the best because it’s softer and moister than the harder, dry varieties from neighboring districts.  One of the most famous makers of amaretti in all of Italy is the Sassello company.  Located in Liguria, Sassello has been making amaretti since 1860.  These amaretti are easily recognized by their colorful paper coverings with fringed-edges, and their attractive Art Noveau tins.

Viva the Italian Riviera!  Liguria ! 

Pesto Perfecto

Pesto pasta in the classical style of Liguria with green beans & potatoes 

Pesto, that ethereal basil-based sauce from Italy, has become almost synonymous with California cuisine…there are few restaurants featuring this genre of cooking that don’t offer something with pesto.  But, let’s get something straight from the beginning.   It’s pronounced “pay stow” not “pes stow.”

Pesto has its origin on the Mediterranean coastline of northern Italy in the region of Liguria (think Portofino, Cinque Terre and Genoa) where basil grows like a weed.  While today in American kitchens it is frequently made in Cuisine-Arts or even blenders, in Liguria pesto is still made the old-fashioned way with a mortar and pestle.  Having taken numerous cooking classes in this region of Italy, I’ve learned that cooks prefer the mortar method because they feel it results in a superior product---the mortar  results in improved flavor because of it doesn’t “bruise” the basil as much as the more modern devices.  Moreover, the mortar results in pesto with a more interesting texture.

Interestingly, basil is thought to have originated in Northern Africa, however, it was first domesticated in India.   Baslico (as they say in Italy) is abundant in Italian & American markets during the summer months.  As pesto freezes fairly well, the next few months are a great time to make a stash for the winter… when a pasta al pesto quickly takes me on vicarious trip to Italy’s sunny coastline.  Regardless of what method you choose to make pesto, here’s my winning recipe which is a compilation from a couple of different Ligurian chefs:

·        2 C firmly packed basil

·        1 heaping tablespoon pine nuts

·        1 tablespoon walnuts

·        Pinch of salt

·        2 medium cloves of garlic (Ligurians typically prefer less garlic than Americans; adjust for your preference)

·        ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

·        ½ cup freshly grated parmiggiano-reggiano

·        2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino 

Instructions:

Crush (in blender, food processor or mortar/pestle) the basil, nuts, salt and garlic.  Slowly add the oil in droplets to incorporate.  Last, gently add cheeses--do not over manipulate.

Buon appetito!

Italy's Home of PESTO & FOCCACIA

“Where’s that?” is what I get from most Americans when I mention that I’m heading to Liguria.   Also known as the Italian Riviera, this drop-dead gorgeous seaside region of North West Italy is home to two of my faves, pesto and foccacia.   Liguria is also home to the stunning post-card-perfect villages of Portofino and the ever popular Cinque Terre.  There’s nothing like sipping a glass of the local white Vermentino with a plate of a pasta al pesto and a piece of foccacia.  Heaven can’t be too far away.

One of the best renditions I’ve had of pesto and foccacia were both made by chef Davide Santoni of Restaurant Doria in Lerici.  His pesto, like many in Liguria, contains less garlic than our American versions.  And, Davide’s foccacia with pesto is a winning combination that will blow-your-mind.   Come learn the secrets of his recipes when Davide conducts a private cooking class for us on the 2012 Italian Truffle tour to Liguria & Piedmont.  www.WineKnowsTravel.com.