Let's continue with our cooking demo. from Whole
Foods on Tuesday night.  Probably the most "Ligurian" sauce is the well-known pesto made with cheese, oil, garlic, nuts,
and basil.  The American version of this sauce most times adds much more oil and garlic than is necessary, and usually
omits the nuts.  Walnuts and pignoli are the traditional ingredients of a Pesto Liguriano.  It is imperative (yes, I'm giving
you a directive that MUST be followed, or we will have to file for divorce) that you toast the nuts.  This seemingly simple
step gives crazy amounts of flavor to the sauce.  So before we move onto the rest of the dish,  boil 2 1/2 lbs. of redskin
or new potatoes in abundant salted water.  Cook till tender, 20 minutes or so, they will be done when you can push a
toothpick through them.  Drain and and let cool a bit.  Cut into cubes.
Place the potatoes aside (I just read a post where a
cookbook food editor is not happy with recipes that say SET ASIDE, so if I start doing it, please yell at me).
While the potatoes are cooking you can set up another pot with water and cook 2lbs. of freshly cleaned, trimmed
green beans.  Cut them in 1/2.  Cook them in the water for about 8-9 minutes, where they will be cooked, but
still retain their crunch. Drain.

Mix the potatoes and green beans in a larger bowl and cover.  Now start the pesto.  Use 1/3 cup toasted pignoli
and 1/3 cup toasted walnuts.  Add them to a food processor and pulse still they are ground.  Add 1/8  cup of
olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic.  Pulse for 1 minute.  Add 3 bunches of basil, some salt and pepper and pulse
for 1 minute.  Add 1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano (grated) and turn the processor on.  Through the top of the
processor add 1/8 cup of olive oil.  Process for less than 1 minute.  Why are we not adding it all at once?
Because this creates a denser textured, more full flavored pesto.  Thin out with more oil if you care to. The
consistency should be like a somewhat loose spackle...and don't you love to eat food that has the consistency
of a building compound?(lol). 
So many pestos are runny, oily,
reeking of raw garlic....This one, which I did learn in Italy, has a great flavor to it.  The nuts, pesto, garlic, and
cheese balance each other out, with the nuts and basil being the dominant flavor.  Toss this pesto in with
the potatoes and green beans.  Done.  Check for seasoning as always. 


  Getting my pesto groove on.  This side dish
is served warm, hot, room temperature, very versatile.  Add 1lb of cooked, hot linguine to it, now you have a main course/
entree known as TRENETTE AL PESTO, a traditional pasta dish of Liguria.  The sauce can be spooned over grilled fish,
meats, or added to a seafood saute'.  Again, the nuts, and they must be walnuts and pignoli, add so much more to
this sauce. Make sure you use Parmigiano Reggiano, the nuttiness of the cheese is awesome here. 

     Being that this is a Friday in Lent, I thought it would be an appropriate post to start the season off.  For those who are
vegetarian, it's a friendly dish for you as well.  Happy Cooking.