Pesto straight up means to pound or crush. In Genoa, known as the birthplace of Italian, sweet basil pesto is done with a marble mortar and wooden pestle. Pine nuts and garlic are added to the mortar and worked into a paste. At this point add fresh basil, coarse salt and work into a paste. Add Parmesan. To ease the introduction of the Parmesan, add a little extra virgin olive oil. Done. At this point jar it up, store it in Tupperware, or an ice cube tray. Usually I top the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil to help preserve it. You can refrigerate it or store it in the freezer. Pesto freezes very well. In the case of the ice cube tray, freeze it then you can pop the pesto cubes out and store in a plastic bag. Taking it out as needed.

Now we understand what pops into most of our heads when we think of pesto. Let your mind wander the world a bit. Ok. Think on this, “Pesto is a Chutney, Chutney is a Salsa”. All these sauces or condiments are closely related as are the implements used to make them. Many cultures use versions of the mortar and pestle that date back much further than Italy’s version. Where does Basil come from? India! Love it. Many chutneys could pass as pesto’s as many pesto’s could pass as salsas. Love the interconnectedness of all things. We would like to share a couple recipes that illustrate these connections.