I have mentioned many times how much I love pasta.  Pesto is just another excuse to eat pasta (not that I need to work hard to find an excuse to eat pasta!~).  Once you get the hang of making pesto, you can easily create your own recipe anytime.  The basic premise is herbs, a little garlic, some type of toasted nuts, olive oil and a little cheese.  I have also found that a tiny drizzle (I do mean tiny!) of very good sherry vinegar adds a nice touch.

So the pesto everyone thinks of is the classic combination of basil, with pine nuts, but there are so many other combos!  I make a cilantro/mint pesto that uses cilantro and mint instead of basil (Duh!) and pecans instead of pine nuts.  Being a great fan of pistachios, I looked for an idea on a recipe and came accross this one at Lydia Bastianich’s site, Pistachio Pesto.  I have posted the recipe here although I did change it a tad.  I used the shelled roasted/salted pistachios (love that salty taste!) and added a touch of sherry vinegar.  I most likely upped the cheese factor too.  The point is to take the recipe as a guide and then put your own spin on it!

Pesto is not just for pasta.  If you use my tip and freeze it first in ice cube trays, then pop them out and keep in a ziplock in the freezer (thanks Elizabeth!), you can easily grab a cube or 2 anytime to add flavor to all kinds of dishes.  Some of my favorite ways to use it other than pasta:  Put a cube or 2 in your homemade chicken or any other kind of soup.  Saute zucchini, tomatoes, onions, etc. and then add a cube to the sauteed veggies.  Spread pesto onto italian bread to make a great Italian Sandwich.