Pesto

I love Pestos...and frequently look for the best there are with real ingredients.....



It goes on gnocchi which I and Mr S also love...homemade preferably, in breads, on breads, and even as a filling...


Friends even brought back the most fabulous Pistachio Pesto from Sicily as a present last year.

Its no surprise that I got excited that one of our local WI members is currently running a wild garlic pesto workshop.   However because I did not go to the last meeting and had not registered my interest on time, I found out today that I have not only missed the first group but also the second group.

I have been rather in the dumps recently and a short break in Cornwall seems to have got me out of the doldrums.  I cannot thank Pat enough for taking good care of me over three days.  Here is a picture of Pat and her favoured pet Breeze on the beach.  It is just a short walk from her home to this little cove.  Of some of my home made bread, cake, marmalade etc which I took down, it was the Beetroot Chutney which Pat is going to try her hand at.

Today for supper I decided to just go completely off piste and made my own pesto, without even doing any research.  I was preparing pasta with a mushroom and pheasant sauce.  This sounds rather extravagant but to be honest it was a 'breeze'.  My cousin Pat was going to cook up some Venison but the local farm shop had run out and suggested a pair of dressed pheasants instead.  When Pat got out her cash to pay a second pair was put on the counter...It was buy one, or rather a brace of pheasants, which is a pair, get another pair free.  All four birds went into the oven...and we came home with a whole cooked bird.  Yesterday we had a meal with most of the meat which I had made into a 'fricassee' on the hob.  There was really enough for three good helpings, so I kept one back.  It was that portion which I then made into a sauce with saute mushrooms, onions, herbs and my ubiquitous Calvados.

The pesto which I dressed the pasta with, before topping with the pheasant concoction, was made up as follows:

a handful of roasted walnuts
the dregs of the lovely olive oil from Greek Olives in a tin, another present from a dancing friend
all the leaves of my windowsill basil plant which had reached the peak of perfection
some Cave aged goats's cheese from Wookey

It was really a use up....but absolutely delicious.  Except for exceptional pestos such as the pistachio one..in future I shall be exploring the world of Pestos through experiment in my kitchen.

I came across a really splendid blog just by chance and there are also tips from Paola Bacchia on gnocchi as well as Pestos.