9 July 2022
Welcome friends. There are some public art pieces around my neighborhood that I find inspiring. A couple of weeks ago I walked around the neighborhood with my camera to photograph some of them. This piece is about the diversity of people that the artist found when he moved into the area. It is a doughnut shaped sculpture with colorful tiles. It is located on Broadway, near Lawrence. The harmonious colors remind me of the color palettes that Corbusier created. I'm still talking myself into buying a set of those swatches.
I didn't expect to post another sauce, but it's finally summer and I'm ready for some pesto. I started making this during the pandemic when the farmer's markets were closed. I need a lot of basil to make my go-to pesto, and I don't have much luck with the packages of basil from the grocery store. There isn't much in each container and the price is a lot higher. When I buy a few containers, at least one of them has leaves that are too brown to use. However, I can usually get enough leaves from a couple of containers to make this sauce.
I found the recipe in an issue of Saveur. I haven't seen that magazine for a while, but I think the recipe is still on their website. I've made a few changes to make this more like the pesto that I am used to.
The great thing about this sauce is it stands up to heat. So, you can use it on pizzas, tarts, and vegetables that are baked. It works really well in the oven, but not very well if you treat it like regular pesto. It keeps for maybe a month in the refrigerator without turning brown.
"Fake" Pesto
25 min. prep time
Ingredients
makes about 1 cup
- about 1.5 oz fresh basil leaves
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, pealed and diced
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 Tbl Pecorino Romano cheese, grated
- 2 Tbl cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 or 3 ice cubes (about 1 oz)
Directions
place the basil, oil, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender. Blend until the mixture starts to get smooth. Scrape down the splatters with a rubber spatula. Add the cheese, butter, and ice cubes and blend until it forms a sauce.
transfer the sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to thicken.