Despite stifling heat and humidity,
there is a touch of autumn in the air.
This is usually the time of year I gather all the basil I can find that
hasn’t been added to sauce or made into caprese
and make a ton of pesto. This
year’s strange growing season, however, has left my basil a bit puny, and many
folks around here have had a basil blight. (See my friend Lisa’s blog entry on the basil problem at http://backyardindustry.org/caught-up/#.U_-b8CgvFSo). Other herbs, however, have been growing
like mad, namely my sage and oregano.
I am seeing a few sage leaves turn silvery, so I take that as a sign
that it’s time to harvest the lot, and make a mean batch of pesto.
Of course, you’re probably
thinking, “sage pesto? Really?” I
thought the same a few years ago when I was desperate to do something with my
giant sage plant, but didn’t want to go to the trouble of drying the
leaves. I experimented with a few
recipes—one of which was to make a simple paste with olive oil and freeze
it—and have finally come up with a winner. This year’s oregano will add an extra layer of flavor, and
will make the result a bit milder and versatile.
Sage leaves will need a bit more
cleaning than basil, but the process is basically the same. I use my salad spinner to wash the bunch
of leaves; this time I added in the sprigs of oregano whole. If I tore off the
leaves before washing, I’d lose them through the holes in the spinner.
I use my granddaddy processor for pesto, since nothing else does quite the same job of making it nice and smooth. It also is great for lazy people like me who love to buy big, quality chunks of parmesan, but hate to grate it by hand.
Meanwhile, 1/3 cup of pine nuts go
into my cast iron skillet over a medium heat. I toss them around until they’re all a lovely golden color,
and the smell is heavenly. I let
them cool while I peel garlic. And
then, realizing I don’t have more than a couple of fresh cloves of garlic, peel
shallots, just one or two. I throw
them in with the sage and oregano.
I chunk up the parmesan, hoping I have the equivalent of a half cup
grated, then the pine nuts have cooled and I toss them in, then the chunky
parmesan.
I forget to add the ½ teaspoon of salt before I pulse the leaves, nuts, garlic, shallots and cheese, so I add it to the waiting ¾ cup of (quality!) extra-virgin olive oil. My recipe, for basil pesto originally, from America’s Small Farms cookbook (which came with my first CSA subscription) says to let the oil drizzle in to get the consistency you want, and you may not use the whole amount. What I’ve found with sage is that it’s much drier than basil, so you will probably use the whole amount of oil. That’s OK, because a little of this stuff goes a long way. I process it until it’s completely smooth.
I spoon it into a jar, unsure
whether it’s too early for me to cook autumn-inspired dishes yet. But the possibilities are endless. If you’re a pasta-maker, I’d recommend
using the pesto with a pumpkin or butternut squash-filled ravioli, or at least
cubed butternut squash, bow ties and a healthy dose of the pesto. Homemade pizza? Pesto instead of sauce, topped with
Italian sausage and provolone.
French version? Soupe au pistou could be your favorite
root vegetables cooked in chicken broth, topped with a dollop of sage-oregano
pesto. Appetizer? Add more oil and salt for a fabulous
dipping sauce for focaccia bread.
Sage makes you think of Thanksgiving? Try cold leftover slices of dressing topped with sage pesto,
or add some to your turkey sandwich for a change of pace.
I’m not sure I’m ready for summer
to end, or to start cooking all these heavier fall dishes, but the season
always comes more quickly than I think.
As I think about this, I turn my head to gaze out the window; I see a
leaf fall.
