#102 Make Your Own Pesto
The best fragrance for a home
Pesto is one of those things I don’t talk about enough. If you’re a long time follower you’ll know just how much I rave about pesto, and how incredibly nutritious it is for you. The smell of a house when pesto is being made fresh is the best kind of home fragrance ever, better than any of those instant Glade contraptions.
The thing about pesto is, it’s one of those things you have to make yourself. Most store bought pestos are riddled with poor quality oils and they just don’t taste fresh. The best pesto is always the one you make at home. It’s great with a food processor, even better with a mortar & pestle. Simply get the best ingredients you can get your hands on, and watch as they perform a beautiful symphony right in front of your eyes. Here’s how you make pesto aglio olio.
Ingredients (per person):
2-3 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced (razor blade thin, like goodfellas)
Few glugs of extra virgin olive oil
Great pasta (use any type you like)
Fresh basil pesto (3-4 tbsp) (there’s a short primer on how to make your own pesto at the end of this recipe, it’s simpler than you might think)
60g (2oz) parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated (feel free to use more)
Equipment:
Stainless steel pan
Stainless steel pot
Fish spatula
Small bowl (for pasta water)
Method:
1. Cooking Pasta
Fill pot with water and heavily salt it (should be pretty salty)
Bring to a boil, and then add the pasta in
Cook for 8+ minutes (or what your specific pasta instructions say) until al dente
Save pasta water in a small bowl
2. Make Base
Get the pan on low-medium heat and drizzle EVOO
Throw the garlic in and let it sauté, stir it well in the EVOO
Just before the garlic browns, pour the pasta water in. It will sizzle rapidly.
Now, add the pesto, and stir really well. Add the pasta in.
Toss until the pesto starts coating the pasta. Throw in pasta water as needed, this will help the pesto stick to the pasta
Add more EVOO as needed
Add parmigiano reggiano
Season to taste
Variations:
Serve with sliced steak, cherry tomatoes, seared prawns, grilled chicken, shrimp and even fresh fish (I know, it's not traditional. Shoot me)
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I use any type of pasta with this?
Yes, this is an incredibly versatile, yet easy way to make pasta and you can substitute it for anything.
It's also great to use with just about any other sauce to be honest. If you don't have sauce, you can just skip adding the pesto and what you'll have with you is a basic aglio olio, which just means garlic & oil
Note: To make the actual PESTO itself, all you need is some
Basil
Rosemary
Olive oil
Garlic
Parmigiano Reggiano (finely grated)
Toasted pine nuts
The best thing about pesto is that you don't really have to measure anything, you can do it absolutely by feel based on the ingredients you have. The only thing you have to worry about a pesto is using too much olive oil. You're not making a soup here, so you want just enough oil for the sauce to take shape.
The way you achieve this do it is to blitz the dry ingredients first (with just a bit of olive oil). Once it turns into a good paste, only then do you drizzle the olive oil to get the consistency you like.
It’s really that simple. No need to follow recipes and weigh everything down to the cup. Just have fun with it! You can even do it the traditional way with a mortar & pestle. It certainly gives you a different texture.
To spice things up, you can always use other ingredients as well, the options are quite literally endless. Soak the nuts in water beforehand to activate them as well, the pesto will be easier on your stomach.
You need to be salt maxxing
You need to be a salt connoisseur. Buy different kinds of salt. Sea salt. Smoked salt. Fine salt. Coarse salt. Sprinkle them on your meals. Have some with watermelon. Your body craves sodium. It's essential. Salt used to be a luxury.
Ice cream tier list
This one triggered some people… What’s your favorite ice cream?
Coffee is incredible
Espresso after a hearty meal
Cappuccino for your mid-mornings
Cortado when you're slightly full
Spanish latte post-sunrise
Affogato as a treat
Americano never
I don't make the rules
The real diet is no diet
Diet "rules" go out the window when you realize you can just...
1. Eat every food group. Build your meals around high quality protein. Prepare grains and vegetables properly. Eat fresh seasonal fruit under the sun.
2. Incorporate bee products DAILY. Raw honey. Bee pollen. Propolis. Royal jelly. Just a little acts as the greatest natural antibiotic of all time.
3. Heal your gut
4. The actual NAME of what you're eating doesn't matter anymore. It's all about what it's made of. Supermarket pre-sliced bread is atrocious. Not all burgers are the same. Local bakery sourdough will heal your soul.
5. New-age plant milks are one of the greatest scams in the world. They're full of canola oil and grain that hasn't been prepared properly. If you want plant based? Use coconut milk.
❋ DOUBLE CHOCOLATE MINT CHIP ICE CREAM SANDWICHES
Ever since undertaking Dave Asprey’s “Get Some” Ice Cream (really amazing, give it a try), I started wondering why anyone would endure the torture of creating a custard — the traditional ice cream base made with eggs. He recommends throwing the eggs in raw, whipping it up in a blender, and going straight to the ice cream maker.
I eat plenty of raw eggs, whole in mayo and the yolks added to the occasional smoothie. We try to get local pastured FRESH eggs as much as possible (and especially for raw occasions). So I would definitely recommend that for this ice cream base.
❋ MARINATED ORANGES WITH HONEY
Oranges and most other fresh fruits are spectacular on their own. Just peel the orange and eat!
However, when they're not quite as sweet as you'd like, or if you just want to change things up, maybe elevate them a bit, this rosemary marinated orange recipe is outstanding!
Marinated oranges are simple to make and impressive for guests. My favorite way to eat them is over vanilla bean ice cream.
"Here is a pre-bake photo of my floral cheesy dinner rolls I shared earlier this week. In case you missed it, I used @arjolee’s cheesy buns recipe to make this romano-loaded dough, and then pressed flowers and herbs from my garden on top. I used violas, lemon balm, (bolted) cilantro, (bolted) parsley, thyme, and oregano. Then I finished them off with some flaky salt."
How stunning are these Floral Cheesy Dinner Rolls?
❋ Read our latest WARKITCHEN magazines:
❋ Get your copy of Optimal Fuel: Your Nutrition Playbook here. It's a cookbook and nutrition guide — all in one. All proceeds goes towards an outrageous amount of hearty ribeyes and raw honey!
❋ If you’d like to contribute an article or sponsor a future issue, please send us your pitch to rocky@warkitchen.net.
❋ We release a digital magazine issue every month. Explore the full archive here.
❋ Adding us (rocky@warkitchen.net) to your contacts, or moving us to primary will make sure you continue receiving these emails. Connect with us on all our socials.
Hope you had a beautiful weekend ladies & gents,
Godspeed!
Please refrain from purchasing the Chinese version of pinenuts. They are not only in fair in flavor and quality but quite frequently have toxins that humans do not want in their bodies. According to the Rodale Institute. Real pin nut as I call it “pinus edulis” from the American southwest is the Correct choice. Locally it is referred to as the pinion pine. Sunflower seeds are superior in flavor texture and quality to the Chinese pignoli. I just wanted to throw that in there….
Sea salt now contains a statistically significant amount of micro plastic, just in case you aren’t getting enough in your diet from the terrestrial sources….