Grilled Ramps with Pesto

These were SO GOOD! I will definitely be making them again, and I am eager to try them with romesco sauce sometime as well. If you don't have pesto on hand in the freezer, eat the grilled ramps straight or try adding a bit of balsamic vinegar to the seasonings.

2 bunches of ramps (about 6 ounces total)

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup pesto

Wash the ramps and trim off the end with the roots. Spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then use your fingers to gently distribute the oil so they are fully coated all over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Carefully place the ramps on the grill over medium heat (place them cross-wise to the grate). Grill for one minute, then turn over and grill for another 30 seconds or so. Remove from heat.

Serve the ramps hot, with pesto for drizzling at the table.

Serves 2-4.

Pizza with Corn, Dried Tomatoes, and Pesto

If you don't freeze anything else in the summer, it's worth putting away some local sweet corn. Slice it off the cob, blanch, cool, and freeze in ziploc bags...then bring it out when you want a taste of summer sweetness. It's a world away from the frozen corn you can buy at the store. Of course, while you're at it, you might as well freeze some pesto too...

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
2-3 ounces shredded mozzarella
3/4 cup corn kernels (thawed if frozen)
1/4 cup rehydrated dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup pesto

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil.

Spread the mozzarella over the pizza crust, then distribute the corn and tomatoes over the cheese. Dot with blobs of pesto.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Spinach Pesto Pizza with Feta

Each summer, with my son's help, I make a bunch of basil pesto and stash it in the freezer in quantities packaged just right for pizza (1/2 cup) or a pound of pasta (1 cup). I welcome its blast of flavor every time I pull a package out of the freezer. Here it makes a nice base for fresh local hoophouse spinach and local feta cheese. You can optionally add chopped canned artichoke hearts here - not local, but delicious with these ingredients.

1 14-inch pizza crust
1/2 cup basil pesto
4 ounces well chopped fresh spinach
1 cup artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped (about half a can) (optional)
2-3 ounces crumbled feta
1 ounces shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Spread the pesto over the pizza crust. Spread the spinach over it, then strew the feta and artichoke hearts (if using) over the spinach. Top with mozzarella.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until crust done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Mint-Pea Pesto with Feta and Walnuts

We accidentally planted shell peas this year after my husband bought a packet of seeds he thought were sugar snaps. But shell peas are delicious, too, and this is a nice way to enjoy them fresh.

1 cup fresh shelled peas
1 cup walnut pieces, lightly toasted and cooled
1 cup fresh mint
2-3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup crumbled feta, or to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
2-3 tsp lemon juice, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

If your peas are small and sweet, you can use them raw. If they have developed a little bitter aftertaste, give them a quick steam until they are just barely tender.

Combine 1 cup of the peas with the walnuts, mint, garlic, and feta in a food processor. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and process until fairly smooth. Thin with a little water (pasta cooking water is perfect for this).

Serve this with pasta, tossing in another cup or two of fresh peas.

Makes enough to sauce 1 lb of cooked pasta.

Arugula Sunflower Pesto

Basil season is coming, but it's not here yet.  Meanwhile, other types of greens also make tasty pestos (and persuade my preschooler to scarf down leafy greens).  The sunflower seeds here were a spur-of-the-moment inspiration upon looking into the pantry, and they are good, but you could also use more traditional nuts - pine nuts or walnuts.

5 oz arugula, washed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
1 large clove garlic
2 tsp lemon juice
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.  Taste and adjust seasonings if desired.

Serve immediately over pasta or hot new potatoes, or serve as a dip with pita chips.

Makes enough to sauce 1 lb cooked pasta.

Pesto Pizza with Red Pepper, Dried Tomatoes, and Gouda

Cooking from the freezer and pantry tonight - this represented the last of the frozen pesto from last year.  No more pesto for a couple months, until I can make it fresh from the garden again.  (Lots of peppers left in the freezer still, though.)  I made this with some excellent Gouda from Upinngil Farm.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
1/2 cup basil pesto (thawed if frozen)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 - 1/2 cup dried tomatoes, rehydrated
2-3 oz Gouda, in small cubes

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Lightly paint the pizza crust with olive oil.

Spread the pesto over the crust, then sprinkle with the pepper, tomatoes, and Gouda.  Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is done and the cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Kale Pesto

As long as you don't expect this to be basil, it's delicious.  Not only a good winter substitute for fresh basil pesto, but tasty in its own right.  Also: made of kale yet happily consumed by my leafy-green-eschewing five-year-old (who loves pesto).  Serve it with pasta like you would any pesto, or on pizza, perhaps with some roasted winter squash and pesto.  Lacinato (dinosaur) kale is best here, but use whatever you have.  Red Russian would be a good second choice.

8-12 oz kale (1 large bunch)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 cup toasted walnuts
1 Tbsp lemon juice, or more to taste
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Steam or boil the kale until nicely wilted but not mushy, then let it cool until you can handle it.

Place the cooked kale, garlic, walnuts, and lemon juice in a food processor.  Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and puree.  Add additional olive oil until it reaches a consistency you like.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Use immediately, refrigerate, or freeze.

Makes 1 1/2 -2 cups.

Pesto Pasta with Grilled Red Peppers

Red bell peppers grilled over a fire add tangy sweetness and a bit of smoke to liven up pasta with pesto.  I throw in some cooked beans for protein, but you can leave them out or substitute cooked chicken if you like.  This is a dish to make right now while peppers in are season.  Traditional basil pesto is excellent here, but try one of the others (parsley pesto would be really good too, or my Thai pesto) if you like.  With a stock of pesto in the freezer, this is an easy meal.

4 red bell peppers, thinly sliced the long way
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 lb pasta
1 cup pesto
2 cups cooked beans (optional)

Toss the peppers with a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Grill over low to medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender and somewhat charred around the edges, about 15 minutes.

While the peppers grill, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta.  Drain it, reserving a little of the cooking water.  Stir in the pesto and beans, adding back a little cooking water if needed to thin the sauce.  Then stir in the grilled peppers.

Serves 4-6.

Rosemary Spinach Pesto

A delicious winter pesto with fresh greens! Keep some potted rosemary around to have fresh rosemary whenever you want it

1/2 lb spinach, washed and large stems removed
2 Tbsp rosemary leaves (removed from stems)
2 cloves garlic
1/4 - 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until very smooth. You may wish to add the oil a little at a time until you reach a desirable consistency.

Makes enough to serve with one pound of cooked pasta.

Dried Tomato Pesto

I suppose this is a little out of season, given that we are just getting into the full swing of fresh tomato season. But entering fresh season (for tomatoes or anything else) also means it's time to make sure all the preserved stuff has been used up before I start preserving again for next winter. This recipe took care of my last stash of dried tomatoes. Use this on pasta or pizza, or try it on grilled chicken or vegetables. Also nice on bruschetta, or as a dip for toasted pita.

1 cup dried tomatoes
1/4 - 1/3 cup good olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan (optional)

Place the tomatoes in a heat proof bowl and pour boiling or near boiling water over them to cover. Let them soak for 10-15 minutes, until soft.

Scoop the tomatoes out, reserving the soaking liquid. Place them in a blender or food processor with the olive oil, garlic, a bit of salt and pepper, and Parmesan (if using). Blend until pretty smooth, adding a bit of the tomato water if you like. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

This will keep in the refrigerator for many days. It can also be frozen.

Makes enough for 1 lb of pasta or two 14-inch pizzas.

Pizza with Pesto and Asparagus

Asparagus season continues. Local basil is starting to make an appearance, too; if you like, you can make fresh pesto with scapes instead of regular garlic. I'm still using the last few packets of pesto that I froze last summer, along with the tomatoes I dried at the same time.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
1/2 cup basil pesto
12 oz. asparagus, tough ends snapped off, sliced in rounds
1/4 cup dried tomatoes, rehydrated in hot water and diced (optional)
3-4 oz. shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly paint the pizza curst with olive oil, then spread it with the pesto. Spread the asparagus and dried tomatoes (if using) over the pesto, then top with mozzarella. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Variations: 1) use parsley-mint pesto or green garlic/scape pesto instead of basil. 2) skip the mozzarella and top with crumbled feta or goat cheese.

Pesto Pizza with Roasted Potatoes and Feta

This is a really good one. I love having a stash of pesto in the freezer all winter long. You can add mozzarella on top of this if you like, but it's not at all necessary and the presentation is quite lovely without it.

3 small potatoes (about 1/2 lb), peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 14-inch pizza crust
1/2 cup basil pesto
1 medium shallot, minced (optional)
2-3 oz. crumbled feta

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay the slices potatoes out in a single layer on a baking sheet and paint lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until soft.

While the potatoes roast, form the pizza crust and paint it lightly with olive oil. Spread the pesto over the crust.

When the potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and turn the heat up to 450 degrees. Lay the potatoes in a single layer over the pesto. Sprinkle the shallots over the potatoes, then add the feta. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is done and the cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Requested: Parsley

What to do with huge bunches of parsley? You can freeze it, of course - either in ice cube trays or simply chopped and sealed in freezer bags. But one of my favorite things to do is to make Parsley-Mint Pesto. The addition of mint is great but you can skip it if all you have is the parsley.

You can use the pesto on pasta (1 cup for 1 lb cooked pasta), where it is great on its own or with the addition of chopped red pepper, dried tomatoes, and/or shredded chicken. It's also good on pizza with whatever you like, tossed with potatoes, and even with winter squash.

You can make big batches of pesto now (and this goes for basil pesto, too, of course) and freeze it in single-meal quantities. Put 1/2 cup or 1 cup of pesto in a quart freezer bag, flatten it out, and stack them up in the freezer. You can thaw and warm it in a bowl of warm water in about 10 minutes.

Grilled Steak with Pesto

I can't believe how hot it was this weekend! I couldn't bear the thought of cooking inside, so we grilled a lot. And since I still have loads of pesto in the freezer (note to self: could actually free less this year), I thought it might be good on steak. It is. It's also good on grilled asparagus, which we had alongside the steak. (Also not bad on fried eggs, or mixed into scrambled eggs.)

Steak to serve two people
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup basil pesto

Take the steak out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to cook it, so it can come to room temperature (maybe a little less time if it's very hot!). Pat it dry, then season liberally on both sides with salt and pepper. Let sit for an hour or so.

Grill the steak over a hot fire for 4-5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Top with pesto at the table.

Pesto Barley with Parsnips

This is a fairly quick recipe that doesn't require tons of time over the stove, which made it good for today's unseasonably hot weather. You can use hull barley instead of pearl, but it will take longer to cook.

1 1/2 cups pearl barley
4 cups water
olive oil
2 medium parsnips, peeled and shredded or diced (woody cores removed as needed)
1 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken (optional)
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked kidney beans
1 cup pesto
Salt and pepper to taste

Place the barley and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer until the barley is tender and has absorbed all the water.

While the barley cooks, heat a little olive oil in a medium skillet and saute the parsnips over low-medium heat until tender, about 8 minutes.

Combine the barley, parsnips, chicken (if using), and beans in a large bowl. Stir in the pesto until everything is coated. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Serves 4-6.

Pesto Potatoes

I wouldn't have thought this possible, but I might have actually frozen more pesto than I really needed. We still have a ton of it--several different kinds--in the freezer, and it will only be another three months or so before basil is available fresh. I think I'm up to the challenge of using it, though! I made this tonight with standard basil pesto, but it would be good with other kinds, too.

2 1/2 lbs boiling potatoes, peeled and cubed
3/4 cup pesto

Boil the potatoes in a pot of salted water for 15-20 minutes or under tender. Drain, then return to the pot and gently toss with the pesto until well coated. Serve hot or room temperature.

Serves 4-6.

Variation: Mash the potatoes and pesto together, adding olive oil and/or milk as needed.

Pizza with Winter Squash and Pesto

Sweet and savory, yum. You could use whatever kind of pesto you like here: kale pesto, green garlic pesto, parsley-mint pesto, or, of course, regular Italian basil pesto.

1 14-inch pizza crust
olive oil
1 cup cooked and mashed winter squash
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup pesto (whatever kind is in your freezer), thinned with water if needed
2-3 oz. shredded or cubed mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Paint the pizza crust lightly with olive oil. Spread the squash over it and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Spread the pesto over the squash (thin it with water first if needed to get an easily spreadable consistency). Spread the mozzarella over the pesto.

Bake for 15-18 minutes, until the crust is done and cheese begins to brown.

Serves 3-4.

Pesto Pizza with Egg on Top

I had a crepe kind of like this a few years ago on a trip to Southern France - the crepe came with Camembert instead of mozzarella, which is what I would have done if local Camembert were to be had this time of year. The pesto came out of my freezer, and I reveled in every bite. We haven't had any basil pesto in a while and I always forget exactly how much I love it.

1 14-inch pizza crust (whole wheat is nice)
olive oil
1/2 cup basil pesto
2-3 oz. mozzarella, in small chunks
3-4 eggs

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Paint the crust lightly with olive oil, then spread the pesto over it. Dot with the chunks of mozzarella. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Remove pizza from oven and carefully crack the eggs over the top, evenly distributed. Even more carefully, put the pizza back back in the oven and bake for another 3-5 minutes, until the eggs are cooked; the whites should be set but the yolks should still be quite gooey.

Serves 3-4.

Pasta with Squash and Winter Pesto

I made this for dinner last night and it was incredibly good. Definitely exceeded expectations. Something about all the different flavors and textures just really worked. The recipe is an adaptation of this one from the New York Times.

1 medium butternut squash
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 lb kale or kale and spinach combined, stems removed (and center rib for kale)
1 lb cut pasta (such as penne)
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
Lemon juice to taste
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts (or use pine nuts)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler, then cut in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut into 1-inch cubes. Place the cubes in a large baking pan and drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, then toss to coat. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until squash is tender.

While the squash roasts, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and prepare a large bowl of ice water on the side. Blanch the greens for about 45 seconds, then scoop out with tongs or a slotted spoon and dunk in the ice water. Drain in a colander and squeeze out as much liquid as possible with your hands.

Bring the pot of water back to a boil and cook the pasta. While you do that, make the pesto: Process the greens and garlic in a food process, then add lemon juice, salt and pepper, and olive oil to taste. Use enough oil to give it the consistency of pesto.

When the pasta is done, drain it (reserving a little of the cooking water) then toss with the pesto. Add a little of the cooking water to loosen the sauce as needed. Add the cooked squash and toss to coat.

Serve hot, topped at the table with nuts if desired.

Serves about 6.

Pesto Pasta with Corn and Chicken

Anticipating the frost that came last night, I bought corn at the farmers market and we pulled out all the remaining basil from the garden. Most of it was not in great shape, as basil really does not like cold weather, but I salvaged what I could and made some more pesto for the freezer. Some of it went to last night's dinner. I really liked the contrast between the savory pesto, chewy pasta, and crunchy sweet corn. If you'd rather not use chicken, or if you like the addition, add some lightly toasted walnuts or pine nuts. This is great with fresh ingredients, but you could also make it through the winter with frozen pesto and frozen corn.

1 lb uncooked pasta
3 cups fresh corn kernels
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 cup pesto

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water. About two minutes before it is done, add the corn.

Drain the pasta and corn, reserving a little of the cooking water, and return to the pot. Stir in the chicken and pesto, thinning with a little cooking water if desired.

Serves about 6.