Pesto (Italy)

I also feel that the summer is not the best time to cook but salads and cold soups. Sometimes I have real problems to lead a balanced diet that includes legumes, vegetables, cereals, milk, blue fish, some meat and fruit. If we think that during the summer we pass more time with our children the composition of the menus, light, nutritious and varied is paramount.

The pasta in summer is well accepted by everyone and the way to spend few hours in the kitchen. The carbohydrates provide energy that is consumed very quickly. If after eating children like to go to the beach or pool a single pasta dish can be sufficient, reserving for dinner more caloric recipes. Since on holiday children use to go to bed much later, there is no danger that digestion is overlapping with the sleep. A very light and healthy 'decoration' of pasta is achieved using the pesto sauce. The pesto is native of Genoa, at the north of Italy, and its composition is one hundred percent Mediterranean diet. It uses as a basis garlic, olive oil and basil. It is very important to use fresh basil leaves, if possible planted in some pot that we have at home. The basil is deteriorating rapidly and if not fresh will cost us more to digest and even have digestive problems, a situation completely contrary to the expected since the fresh basil is a great help for intestinal problems.

INGREDIENTS:

Half cup grated parmesan cheese

Around 30-40 fresh basil leaves

1 garlic clove 2 tablespoons pine nuts

Half cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

Optional: 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Vegetable broth or water for cooking pasta

The preparation of traditional pesto is to use a mortar but is almost equally well using the electric mixer. Just throw all the ingredients in the mixing glass and beat until well fine. If a paste is too compact you must dilute with vegetable broth or even water of the cooked pasta. If you like strong sauces you can add a little ground black pepper. Now you can cook any type of pasta (macaroni, noodles, spirali etc.) according to the manufacturer tell us at the indications and once and al dente, quickly adding pesto sauce (usually cold but you can temper with hot water bath or the microwave) mixing with force. The amounts expressed above would be appropriate for 4 servings so double for more rations. Someone has commented that pesto can make large quantities and freeze. It freezes into small units and reused if desired. I have not tested the issue of freezing so I leave it up to the most experimenter readers. Too often in restaurants or buying pesto at the market we have noticed that the dough flavored became heavy and somewhat indigestible. Left clear that if that happens is because oil is not of good quality or not is fresh basil. The pesto sauce is very real healthy and refreshing, something else is that manufacturers and restaurateurs exploit the worst of the pantry to make their sauces.