What to do with pesto besides pasta?

Summer is the season of sunny days, late mornings and afternoons at the beach. In the kitchen, it's also the season for many fruits, colorful vegetables and fresh herbs, which embellish our fresh and light dishes. Among the latter, basil makes its return from June to September, and brings taste, fragrance and bright color to many recipes such as caprese salad. It is also the main ingredient of pesto, this Italian sauce made from pine nuts and parmesan, which enhances many pasta dishes but not only that.

How to make homemade pesto?

The recipe for traditional basil pesto is very easy to make and only requires a few minutes of preparation. For 4 people, you need approximately 1 bunch of fresh basil, 50g of pine nuts, 10cl of virgin olive oil, 1 small clove of garlic and 50g of grated parmesan.

We start by washing the basil before drying it, then we strip the branches. We then peel the garlic, which we roughly chop. In a bowl, mix the garlic with the pine nuts, before adding the basil and parmesan. Add the olive oil while continuing to mix until you obtain a creamy texture.

Original pestos

There are actually a multitude of pesto recipes. Aside from the classic pine nut basil, among the best-known preparations are pesto rosso made with candied tomatoes, basil and almonds, but also pesto with parsley, pistachio or coriander. You can also make a pesto by replacing the basil with arugula, mint, kale or spinach leaves. Some even use avocado, or peas. The principle always remains the same, and the ingredients must be mixed cold, in order to keep their flavor intact, but also their fragrance and texture. To simplify preparation when using larger ingredients, you can use a pestle or blender.

What to do with pesto besides pasta?

Whatever type of pesto you choose, you will have understood that this little green sauce has more than one trick up its sleeve, and can be found in a multitude of recipes, in addition to the classic pesto pasta. For example, you can use it as a marinade for beef before cooking on the barbecue, or to enhance many seafood products such as shellfish or fish. Have you ever tried adding pesto on top of a summer salad? You'll thank us later! As a main course, we spread it generously on our seasonal vegetable tarts, appetizer sandwiches or even homemade pizza.

To be continued: 21 pesto recipes for making something other than pasta.