Fresh for the Pesto Garden

Enlarge Image Image Gallery

One of the greatest culinary pleasures of summer is pesto, an uncooked herb paste with an enticing aroma and unmistakable flavor. Genoa, Italy, is credited with the creation of classic basil pesto, and the French gave it a twist with tomatoes and called it “pistou.” A regional favorite in Southern Italy adds chiles to the mix of sun-dried tomatoes and basil for a specialty red pesto called “pesto rosso.”

Since its Italian beginnings, pesto has evolved along the way from a traditional paste of fresh basil to a myriad of variations made with aromatic herbs such as summer savory, arugula, rosemary, parsley and mint. Pesto can also be pumped up with cream cheese, sour cream, tofu or other ingredients. As long as it’s an uncooked herb paste made with fresh ingredients, it’s pesto.

Choosing ingredients

At its essence, pesto is composed of five basic ingredients: fresh herbs, nuts, garlic, cheese and oil. Basil is exceptional, but other herbs also make great-tasting pesto — chives, cilantro, Italian parsley, rosemary, marjoram and sweet oregano, as well as arugula, chervil, fennel, mint, sage, sorrel, summer savory, thyme and tarragon. Experiment with different herbs and herb combinations to influence the overall character and flavor of the pesto. Sometimes strong herbs such as sage and thyme mellow when combined with basil or parsley.

Though pesto is traditionally made with pine nuts — a high-fat nut found in pinecones — other nuts can be used to highlight the herb you have chosen. Try walnuts or buttery-rich pecans for a slightly more intense flavor. For a sweeter, more delicate taste, almonds and cashews are a tasty addition.

Cheese, garlic and oil may seem like minor players, but the quality and type you choose can have a major influence on the pesto you make.

• Most any dry, sharp cheese will work fine, but freshly grated Parmesan, Romano and pecorino (made from sheep’s milk) are superb choices.

• When it comes to garlic, skip the dried powder or granules and stick with fresh. You can grow many varieties of fresh garlic or buy it at your local farmers’ market. Some are spicier than others, so experiment.

• Extra-virgin olive oil is considered by many to be the best oil for making pesto. Whether using olive oil or substituting another oil such as walnut, use the best-quality oil you can find.

Planning the garden

Store-bought pesto can be good, but homemade pesto is sensational. And when you make pesto with fresh herbs grown and harvested from your own garden, you’ll experience pesto perfection. You can grow your own pesto herbs in an area as small as 16 square feet. That’s enough space to grow the following herbs: eight basil, one upright rosemary, two parsley, two sweet oregano, four summer savory and one chive plant. Short on garden space? Enliven your deck or patio with a grouping of container-grown herbs for culinary accents that are always right at hand.