1. Posted by Tess on Thu, May 24, 2007, 1:24 pm PDT

Sounds like a good recipe, however I am not fond of walnuts so I use toasted pecans in all my pestos. Not to be picky but I thought the classic nut for pesto was pine nuts? I say use whatever you got or like the best. The addition of flat leaf parsley was a welcomed surprise.

Report Abuse

2. Posted by yodawillie on Thu, May 24, 2007, 9:48 pm PDT

This is very similiar to a recipie that I found from James Beard...It's wonderful. The only difference would be to substitute pine nuts for the walnuts...It's wonderful!

Report Abuse

3. Posted by Everydayfoodie on Sun, May 27, 2007, 1:52 pm PDT

I recently had a chance to learn about pesto from the chef at the Lake Austin Spa (ranked the #2 best destination spa by Conde Nast) and he did say that pine nuts are the traditional nut for pesto. However, we talked about the many different ways you can make your pesto your own, including changing the nuts that you use. It's very popular here in Texas to use pecans because they are native, and I bet that in California you find pesto with all kinds of other interesting nuts. It's all about eating local :-) Another thing to do is change the base herb you put in. I think at some point soon I'll have a pesto party and experiment with all of the wonderful ways to combine herbs and nuts for pesto.

Report Abuse

4. Posted by Pali on Tue, Jun 12, 2007, 1:14 pm PDT

Mi grandmother from Genoa, Italy, adds PINENUTS instead of the walnuts. It is deliciouuuuuuuuuuuus!!!

Report Abuse

5. Posted by deeplyinlove1981 on Fri, Jun 15, 2007, 5:37 pm PDT

I have tried this recipe. Easy, yummy and tastes like a traditional pesto that we all love. But I am too going to experiment with other nuts and herbs. Also, this freezes very well.

Report Abuse

6. Posted by on Mon, Jun 18, 2007, 1:31 am PDT

I've always added parsley to my pesto because I find basil too strong. It is very hard to find pine nuts and walnuts here, so I just use whatever nuts available like cashew and peanuts. I rarely add the cheese (romano/parmesan) because I do not refrigerate my batch. It usually lasts for more than a month, room temperature

Report Abuse

7. Posted by janalo on Mon, Jun 18, 2007, 2:33 pm PDT

Can anybody give me nutritional information on this? And why does it really need to have so much oil? I don't think I would like any sauce where 1/3 of it was oil. I should have no more than two teaspoons of oil a day and that really limits how much of this you can use. Can it be made with about 1/4 of the oil and still be good?

Report Abuse

8. Posted by xtece22 on Tue, Jun 19, 2007, 2:17 pm PDT

i tried this tried and true recipe on my family and they loved it. very easy that my preteen can even do it. keep sending more great ideas for this overworked and under paid mother of five

Report Abuse

9. Posted by Guardian54 on Tue, Jun 19, 2007, 2:51 pm PDT

yes, toasted pine nuts are the 'classic' way of making pesto, however, as any chef worth his title will tell you, cooking is an ever evolving art that demands the use of imagination to create new and exciting flavor combinations and textures. So go ahead, experiment and most of all..have fun!!!

Report Abuse

10. Posted by valdezgm on Tue, Jun 19, 2007, 3:14 pm PDT

I tried this recipe using pecans and almonds and some sun dried tomatos....it´s taste delicious !!!!

Report Abuse

11. Posted by kerri922 on Fri, Jul 06, 2007, 2:41 pm PDT

The classic nuts are pine nuts but one time in a pinch I substiuted Granola - I was very surprised at how delicious!

Report Abuse

12. Posted by on Sat, Jul 07, 2007, 9:28 pm PDT

janalo--- you said you "should have no more than two teaspoons of oil a day". Is that from your Dr.? And if so, ask if that includes extra virgin olive oil. It is SO healthy for you.

Report Abuse

13. Posted by angeline1887 on Sun, Jul 15, 2007, 2:37 pm PDT

Im glad its a recipe sans pine nuts, being from an area where we can go get our own, they are still a pain to get, especially if you buy them from markets (super expensive)! I could use a blender instead of a food processor, right??

Report Abuse

14. Posted by Kewl on Sat, Aug 04, 2007, 6:03 am PDT

I use whatever nut happens to be in my pantry, and even if I don't have any I don't let it keep me from making pesto. Also, I am never shy about using less basil and more parsley. Basil is readily available in most groceries in my area, but you do pay premium prices. I have grown my own on my front porch, along with several other herbs for the last 3 years...it takes a lot of will power early in the season, not to harvest the basil plants bare! I also add a pinch of dried red pepper flakes to mine, because I Iike the extra heat. Sometime I use the same basic idea with cilantro and put it on grilled meats. I think it is worth noting for the person who wished to use less olive oil, that they should experiment and maybe add a tiny bit of water to get the right consistency instead of so much oil. I am not sure about getting it down to 2 teaspoons a serving though. Also keep in mind that pesto isn't used interchangably for tomato sauce. Its an intense (4 cloves of raw garlic) uncooked sauce and you will completely overwhelm your pasta if you dress it using the same amount of pesto as your normal tomato sauce.

Report Abuse

15. Posted by Justin A on Mon, Aug 20, 2007, 3:11 pm PDT

I love pesto, but I've never worked with pine nuts...so I came up with my own twist. My homemade pesto uses olive oil, Asiago cheese, fresh basil, roasted garlic, and sunflower kernels. It's very tasty and not hard to make in the least.

Report Abuse

16. Posted by GPNDave on Mon, Aug 20, 2007, 3:59 pm PDT

As I am very allergic to pine nuts, walnuts or pecans are the ones I use. Thanks for showing a recipe w/out the pine nuts!

Report Abuse

17. Posted by Jingle S on Tue, Aug 21, 2007, 6:31 pm PDT

this is the same recipe i have except for the parsley, bn trying this for quite a while and it's really good. everyone finds my pesto so tasty!!! instead of pine nuts or walnuts i use regular peanuts! it's so perfect on bread with cream cheese! i can hv it everyday for breakfast!

Report Abuse

18. Posted by Sandra on Fri, Aug 31, 2007, 5:16 pm PDT

Can anyone comment on whether the nuts are needed? I am allergic to nuts and would like to leave them out altogether. Will that mess up the consistency?

Report Abuse

19. Posted by workaholic711 on Sun, Sep 30, 2007, 7:23 am PDT

This is not classic pesto! I come from an Italian family and making pesto without BASIL and PINE nuts is an abomination.

Report Abuse

20. Posted by jntbaetz on Tue, Oct 02, 2007, 7:51 pm PDT

You don't need to make pesto with nuts, I make it all the time and it is just wonderful with or without nuts.

Report Abuse

21. Posted by on Wed, Oct 03, 2007, 2:51 pm PDT

I love this recipe, and I make it every summer. It only takes 5 min. The indrigents, are expensive, though.

Report Abuse

22. Posted by Greg L on Thu, Nov 08, 2007, 7:42 am PST

Substituting walnuts for pine nuts is very dangerous for people allergic to walnuts. You would need to caution anyone who eats this pesto. Walnut allergies are extreme reactions!

Report Abuse

23. Posted by laradf on Fri, Nov 30, 2007, 1:06 pm PST

Any kind of nuts can cause extreme reactions. As one of the nut allergy sufferers, I like the idea of trying sunflower seeds mentioned above. Or maybe pumpkin seeds.

Report Abuse

24. Posted by NEMO on Tue, Apr 15, 2008, 2:18 am PDT

Please dont call your attempt to make PESTO .....Classic....first of all in the REAL PESTO wich is a speciality of Liguria....YOU DONT USE persely nor wallnuts.....but ONLY BASEL and PINOLI.....( Pinetree seeds ) of the mediterranean Umbrella Pinetree..... and than you make a mix of PARMIGIANO and PECORINO ( NO imitations)..... another little advice....DONT EVER USE metal A MIXER or something with metal blades..while you smash the pesto....The metal will oxidate the basel if you do...wich will give a bitter taste to the pesto......Final another advice......Go to Liguria....go in a house there you will get the CLASSIC PESTO.......and remember Italian food has RULES.....and dont admitt changes ....if you use your own fantasy....dont use the name PESTO ...but call it SMASHED.....

Report Abuse

25. Posted by Guardian54 on Mon, May 26, 2008, 3:57 pm PDT

Oh, Claudio, quit being so anal! If everybody only cooked one way without ever experimenting, there would never be any new dish's. That goes for Italian cooking as well. Besides, who made you the 'Chief of the Italian Recipe Police'????

Report Abuse

26. Posted by Guardian54 on Mon, May 26, 2008, 3:57 pm PDT

Oh, Claudio, quit being so anal! If everybody only cooked one way without ever experimenting, there would never be any new dish's. That goes for Italian cooking as well. Besides, who made you the 'Chief of the Italian Recipe Police'????

Report Abuse

27. Posted by littlebitmatrix45 on Wed, Jun 11, 2008, 8:44 pm PDT

This is very good on linquine or penne add cream and really super excellent!

Report Abuse

28. Posted by eli m on Thu, Jul 03, 2008, 11:59 am PDT

1 bunch of basil (leaves only) washed and dried 1 small handful of raw pine nuts 1 garlic clove 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 1/4 cup extra virgin oil hand chopped............ tastes better than using a blender

Report Abuse

29. Posted by blesssfloyd on Tue, Jul 08, 2008, 2:07 pm PDT

I have never tasted It, I don't even know what it is?

Report Abuse

30. Posted by chrissy.robinson28 on Wed, Aug 27, 2008, 10:53 am PDT

never tried pesto i am wanting to

Report Abuse