My Painstakingly Perfected Pesto Recipe
Hi, guys!
I finally got a bumper crop of tomatoes — all at once, so I have to figure out a way to use them all up quickly. It’s been feast or famine around here this year.
I also brought in the last of the herbs and will be jarring up basil pesto later today. After MUCH trial and error back in the 1990s, I came up with what I consider the perfect pesto recipe, and today I’m going to share it with you.
If you make it, let me know what you think!
Jessica’s Painstakingly Perfected Pesto
3 tablespoons pine nuts
1/4 pound fresh basil, rinsed and patted dry
4 garlic cloves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
5-6 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt to taste, if necessary
In a food processor, mix 2 tablespoons of the pine nuts, basil and garlic.
With the motor still running, add cheese and sugar, then slowly drizzle in 5 tablespoons of the oil, stopping to observe the pesto’s texture and decide whether you need the rest. Process until well combined.
Taste for salt and add a little at a time, if necessary. This will depend on the cheese you use; I often don’t have to add salt.
Mix the remaining pine nuts in with a spoon.
Use immediately or transfer to a glass jar, leaving one inch of headspace. Smooth the top surface with a spoon, tap the jar on the counter to eliminate air pockets, then top the pesto with 1/2-inch of olive oil to prevent oxidation. Store it in the refrigerator, and pour off oil layer before using.
TIPS: Use high-quality olive oil, and avoid over-processing or your pesto may turn bitter.
📬 Ask Jessica
DEAR JESSICA: As you’ve advised, I made my last lawn-mowing of the season extra short. Last week was unusually warm, so the grass has grown back. Is it OK to cut it again, or will that harm it? — Michal Bachajsza
DEAR MICHAL: You don’t say where you live, but I’m assuming you’re in a 4-season climate. Generally speaking, if the grass has grown considerably since what was supposed to be the last mowing of the year, you can cut it short one more time without risking damage to the root system.
Roots do not actively grow as plants prepare for dormancy, and that applies to grass at this time of year in temperate climates.
Got a gardening question? Ask it here.
👏 Sunday shoutout
John Del Grosso of Islandia, New York, sent in this autumn scene of “our friendly feral cat, Bradley, lounging under our pink crape myrtle, which barely bloomed this year but has given us an abundance of fall color.
“I would market this as a postcard,” he added, “but Bradley won’t sign a photo release (he said it’s alright if you want to use this though)!”
Send in your photo, and you could be featured next (bonus points if you’re in the picture!) NOTE: The gardens may be going to sleep where you live, but houseplant photos are always welcome, as are images of seasons past.
💡 If you do one thing this week…
Leave your pumpkins and Jack-o-Lanterns out in the garden to feed birds, squirrels and other wildlife looking for food.
📰This week in my Associated Press gardening column
I write a weekly gardening column for the AP, so you might have seen my byline in your local paper (or news website) — wherever in the world you happen to be. In case you miss it, I’ll post the most recent here every week.
THIS WEEK: From errant birdseed to mint mishaps, gardening can be scary
LAST WEEK: Transplanting shrubs: Timing and technique for a thriving garden
BEFORE THAT: Don’t toss that! Here’s how to make good use of food scraps
ONE MORE: How to help winter-prepping birds
You can read all my AP gardening columns here.
📚📺🎵 Random things I enjoyed this week
📺 I started watching Talamasca on AMC+, and if you’re a fan of Ann Rice novels, its name will sound familiar. The Talamasca is the covert, ancient society of humans who have been observing, tracking and documenting the activities of witches, vampires and other paranormal beings in book series like Lives of the Mayfair Witches (The Witching Hour is my all-time favorite book) and The Vampire Chronicles. Only two episodes have aired so far, and they were great.
📺 I’m rewatching the last season of Stranger Things in advance of the release of Season 5 later this month. It’s been 3 years, so I barely remember how it left off.
📺 I’m also rewatching Nurse Jackie on Netflix. I was a fan of the show and watched the first two seasons on Showtime years ago, but then canceled my subscription, so I missed the remaining five seasons. For those who don’t know, Edie Falco plays an opioid-addicted, husband-cheating ER nurse with otherwise good judgment and a big heart. Peter Facinelli and Merrit Weaver also star.
☕I met a few friends for high tea at NYC’s Lowell Hotel during the week. It was nice to catch up with them in such a beautiful space.
Let’s be friends! Follow me:
@JesDamiano on Instagram
@jessicadamiano on Facebook
@jesdamiano on Threads
📧 How’m I doing?
I welcome your comments and suggestions, so please send them along — as well as any topics you’d like to see covered and questions you’d like answered in the Ask Jessica section.