Over the years I have learned to harvest as much of my sweet basil as possible during June through mid-August, mostly so I can stock up on my Central Jersey Pesto. Central Jersey Pesto is one of the recipes included in “Changing The Game” (page 253) so readers can pair it with the likes of their grilled venison and other large game steaks. It is a marriage made in heaven and one of the fabulous food combinations our family enjoys all summer long and now, into the fall and winter months, since I’ve started making large batches of pesto each summer and freezing them. It’s safe to say, I’ve taken a page out of the canner’s playbook.
Where we live and depending upon the weather, June into late August yields the sweetest basil leaves. Once the days begin to shorten and nights become brisker, the basil plants produce fewer leaves that are less sweet and more bitter as they strain for longevity. The flavor profiles of the yields change dramatically and not for the better. So, we have learned to strategically pick the basil and trim the plants to achieve optimal growth during the desired harvesting period to increase their yield and our enjoyment of this resource over a longer period of time.
Most of our freshly harvested basil, if not used in our salads or as an ingredient in our freshly made sauces, is made into pesto on the day of harvest. In fact, since basil doesn’t stay fresh for long after it is picked, we only typically harvest what we will use on that day. And then there are those days where you look at the plants growing at breakneck pace and make the decision to harvest a bunch to make into multiple batches of pesto. Please note, during this time of year we always ensure that we have in the house the other ingredients for Central Jersey Pesto and we typically purchase them in bulk, substituting American Walnuts for Pignolis, because they are more cost-effective and actually, we like their flavor better in our pesto. Note: being half Italian, we always have fresh garlic in bulk. Just sayin’.
The fresh pesto that is not being consumed that day is transferred to airtight containers and frozen immediately. It stays surprisingly fresh into the winter months. However, I can’t say there hasn’t been some sort of temptation to do other things with these batches that were destined for the freezer. We finally caved and since, we have found fun and creative ways to enjoy our pesto year-round in manners beyond mixing it into our pasta. So, our beloved summer pesto made with basil, garlic, extra-virgin olive oil, American walnuts & grated cheese has grown up, graduated and is impacting dishes throughout our kitchen as we have learned to keep at least one container in the fridge “for immediate use.”
Here’s a short list that’s long on flavor of how we use our Central Jersey Pesto. Please note you can and should thin it for spreads and dipping sauces by adding extra virgin olive oil.
- Pair pesto with grilled chicken, duck or upland fowl and press it into a panini (you can add some mozz too)
- Spread on grilled chicken or upland fowl
- Use it as a spread on a grilled chicken, duck or upland fowl sandwiches or a Po’boy
- Spread on crostini or Italian bread – add grilled shrimp for a fun, flavorful twist
- Pesto-coated grilled shrimp (I did not get that from Bubba Gump.)
- Add a dab to extra-virgin olive oil and use for dipping bread
- Rub onto chicken, upland fowl or duck before grilling or baking
- Use as a filling for Braciola
- Wake up your day with a flavor bomb… pesto in the oil you use to cook your eggs or on your toast.
- Stuff and coat Cod or a similar type of fish with a mixture of thinned pesto and breadcrumbs then bake.
- Grilled oysters with a dab of pesto melting into them
- As a spring roll filling
- As a topping on grilled venison or large game steaks
- Spread on crusty Italian bread with thin sliced Tomato and fresh, sliced mozzarella
- Thinned with olive oil and as a dip for your mozzarella sticks
- Add a dab or two into your red sauces in place of or in addition to fresh basil
- Blend with ricotta cheese in varying ratios and use to stuff homemade ravioli, tortellini, manicotti and shells. Or, use the blend in your eggplant rollatini.
Ok, it’s not as long as the list Bubba Gump has for his shrimp. But, I’m hoping this list encourages you to always keep a portion in the fridge for use during the week and that you and your family will give some of these ideas a try or come up with some more of your own, enjoying my Central Jersey Pesto made from your own sweet basil.
