As an apartment dweller, I am limited to growing things in containers--and not even very large containers either. But that doesn't stop me from dreaming big dreams of pesto, like this one, which I clipped from the back page of Gourmet in August of last year, and just finally got around to making. So what if I had to pit stop at North Shore Farms for a bunch of the not-so-homegrown stuff to supplement my meager supply?
With roasted almonds standing in for the pine nuts, a cloud of fresh ricotta cheese in place of most of the traditional parmesan, and a garnish of briny kalamata olives, I had a suspicion this would be great.
I was right. This was ordinary pesto's suave and sophisticated cousin. The ricotta lent a velvety texture, and was a wonderful carrier for the basil and garlic flavors, mellowing and smoothing them out. The olives provided a welcome salty sharpness with each bite. It was a big bowl of comfort, summer weather style, perfect with a chilled glass of Savignon Blanc. And the garnish is just-picked from my garden, thank you very much.
The olives and the creamy cheese make this look very yummy! I'll try this one!
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