So ambition got the best of you, and you bought a fresh bunch of Italian parsley to garnish a dish, a week ago. And now said parsley minus two teaspoons worth of chopped leaves is wasting away in the fridge (hopefully wrapped in damp paper towels). Have no shame, we’ve all done it (if you haven’t neglected parsley, well done, truly). But it’s not too late. Unless the leaves are brown, slimy, and emitting a revolting smell, your past-its-prime parsley can still be the star of dinner. Enter pesto.
Recommended Listening
To set the mood for preparing said food. This week’s picks are again, rather obvious.
“Summer in the City” by The Lovin’ Spoonful (Chef’s pick), “In the Heat of the Night” by Quincy Jones, “Sun is Shining” by Bob Marley, “Summertime Blues” by Eddie Cochran, “Hot in Herre” by Nelly, and “Heat Waves” by Glass Animals (kid pick).
On Pesto
Pesto is what I whip up for dinner when I don’t feel like cooking dinner (I know that sounds rich coming from a chef, but I have my limits). Traditional pesto is a spread or sauce of basil with pine nuts, Parmesan, garlic, and olive oil. Historical tradition dictates grinding the ingredients with a mortar and pestle, but modern practice calls for a quick whirl around the blender.
I love parsley for pesto because it is a gentler yet still aromatic flavor and appeases sensitive palates (AKA my six-year-old). Blend the sauce to be as smooth or textural as you like, or break out your mortar and pestle if you have one. Mix up the nuts for a cheaper dish, say almonds, or for a more pronounced nuttiness blend in pecans or walnuts. Either way, the sauce requires no heat or cooking, which is especially helpful if your city is currently the temperature of a Finnish sauna.
Photo break for a good old-fashioned chef sauce swipe:
Adding a little lemon juice brightens the color and flavor, and helps keep the herbs from turning brown. Look for coarse-grated or shredded authentic Parmigiano Reggiano without any added ingredients, or grate it yourself. Many stores keep a small stash of “bargain” cheese wedges that are smaller portions but just a few dollars.
The Formula
The following formula for pesto works with basil and parsley, or a combination of any fresh herbs. I’ve made pesto with equal parts basil and oregano and loved it. But start small with fresh oregano, it’s a demanding herbal presence. All of the winter greens and even their cruciferous cousins can play pesto. Choose your main ingredient based on what you enjoy and what’s dying a slow death in your fridge.
And in less than five minutes you’ll be staring at a strikingly-green, versatile sauce. I like to season it with sea salt which adds a nice minerality. But whichever salt you keep on hand, taste the pesto and adjust before you add it to any other ingredients.
How to Serve
Toss the sauce with cooked pasta (no judgment if you buy pre-cooked noodles in this heat) until it all warms through for a satisfying comfort dish. I recommend pasta made from lentils, chickpeas, or a combination of ancient grains and corn for the most nutrient-dense dish. Traditional wheat and gluten-free pasta made from rice lack the added fiber and vitamins you’ll get from a bean or quinoa-based pasta. But if you’re a durum wheat purist, your kitchen, you’re the boss.
Pesto with pasta and garden peas in spring and summer is one of my favorite half-from-scratch dinners (mostly because everyone in my house will eat it gladly). It’s incredibly satisfying, quick and leftovers keep well in the midst of all that citric acid from the lemon juice. Reheat leftovers with a little water to return the sauce to its original state. For a less starchy meal, brush or top the pesto onto sautéed or grilled fish or eggplant, eggs your favorite way, or a rotisserie chicken.
Edible Epilogue
Parsley is underrated if you ask me. And is often forgotten about in the depths of the crisper drawer. And you can avoid the aforementioned parsley wasting by adding more than two teaspoons to any sauce or dish. Never have I ever measured fresh herbs with measuring spoons for any dish. Not for clients, and not at home (exception: recipe testing).
So ignore any recipe that gives a measure for fresh, chopped herbs as a garnish (even mine). Add as much as you like or until you can truly see the herbs all throughout the dish or sauce. Then sprinkle more of that beautifully-chopped parsley on top like you’re throwing down with Bobby Flay. That’s the sweet spot. That’s how you save the parsley.
Parsley Pesto
Ingredient measurements are given for reference and don’t need to be exact.
makes about 1 cup of pesto
Ingredients
Italian parsley leaves from about 1 bunch (2 ounces or 200 grams)
¼ cup of pine nuts, almonds, pecans, or walnuts
3 fresh garlic cloves, skins removed
¼ cup of grated Parmesan
½ cup of olive oil
juice of a small lemon (2 to 3 tablespoons)
½ teaspoon of sea salt or kosher salt
Method
Rinse and pluck the parsley leaves. If your parsley feels gritty, rinse it under trickling cold water and pat it dry. Then cut away the thick lower stems and pluck off the leaves. No need to be exact about it, the baby stems the leaves are on will simply add fiber to your sauce.
Blend the pesto sauce. Combine the parsley leaves, nuts, garlic, Parmesan, olive oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until the garlic and parsley leaves are finely chopped and borderline smooth. Or for a smoother sauce, blend until it thickens and no whole leaves remain.
Taste and season. Taste the pesto, and add salt until you are happy with the flavor. Ground black pepper adds a nice touch, too.
Serve. Toss the finished pesto in a large pot with cooked pasta, some of the pasta cooking liquid, and a few drizzles of olive oil. Stir gently to warm it all through. Or use the pesto as a dressing or dip for grilled salmon, oven-roasted or air-fried potatoes, or drizzled over roast chicken.
Notes
Replace some or all of the parsley with other fresh herbs such as basil for traditional pesto, oregano, or even cilantro for a Mexican or Thai-style sauce perfect for tacos and rice dishes. Pesto with cilantro, lime, and pine nuts makes a great combination for Central American and South Asian-inspired meals.
Up next… a request from an Edible Times reader… that’s taken me far too long to fulfill. Flawless cacio e pepe. I’ll share the traditional technique and also my secret ingredient for keeping the incredibly simple yet prone-to-separating sauce silky smooth.