A Cheaper Pesto Recipe, Part 2

Cilantro pesto, a nice alternative to the traditional basil pesto, isn't for the faint-hearted. Cilantro when ground into pesto, surprisingly takes a backseat to the pungent garlic aroma, but does retains some of its grassiness. If you find it's too strong for your liking, combine with basil leaves.

A cow's milk Parmigiano Reggiano fuses the flavors together. Pecorino Romano makes a lovely, slightly cheaper albiet, more earthy alternative to Parmigiano Reggiano. Made of sheep's milk, a good Romano is dense and salty in flavor.

Really, the hardest part about this recipe is the washing of the cilantro! But if you have the right frame of mind, set aside a half hour, you might really find this enjoyable. Learning how to enjoy the process is part of the joy in cooking, no?

Often, I can find cilantro at 3 bunches/$1 versus the $2.99/bunch for fresh basil. Just this factor alone is motivation enough to spend a few extra minutes on such a delicious project. But add to that the knowledge of cilantro’s health benefits and surely, washing cilantro becomes a labor of self-love. Sunflower seeds have a significantly longer shelf life than pine nuts, lasting a few months in the pantry and up to a year in colder storage.

Cilantro Pesto
Recipe modified and adapted from Food Network and SimplyRecipes.com.

2 cups packed fresh cilantro leaves (about 2 bunches)
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, raw
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Directions
Wash Cilantro. Cut off the ends that are bound and gently wash in a large bowl of salted water, then drain. Wash like this twice to remove all the dirt and grit.

Then (this is the fun part!), remove the cilantro leaves from the stems, discarding any brown or yellow leaves and stems that are especially woody or thick.

Simple trick: hold a stem with leaves of cilantro, and with your index finger and thumb slide the bottom portion of leaves off in a downward motion; then, just snip off the top bunch of leaves.

It’s not necessary to remove all of the stems, just a lot of them.

Now, we get to it: In a food processor, combine cilantro, garlic, and sunflower seeds pulse until the consistency you desire. Add 1/2 cup of the oil gradually and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Add grated cheese and pulse to incorporate. Season with fresh ground pepper and a pinch of salt if needed.

Serve tossed with your favorite pasta and serve with fresh orange wedges to clean the palate.

Fresh pesto is an extraordinary treat. Power-packed with polyphenols and an outstanding source of Vitamin E and protein, perhaps pesto really has magical powers after all.

A Cheaper Pesto Recipe

I loved pesto clinging to my long pasta from the first mouth full-- maybe it's something about the bright color and the smell that enlivens the senses, even before the powerful flavors and nutty rich layer hits the tongue-- whatever it is, pesto is pure potion of witchcraft.

What's kept me from giving into the mysterious seduction on a more frequent basis? For one, why in the world does a basil pesto have to be so expensive? It has just a handful of ingredients: olive oil, garlic, basil, pine nuts, hard cheese and some salt. I've tried every economical form of it short of the real thing, the Knorr instant powder pesto to the pre-made refrigerated versions, but nothing seems to come close to the dynamic taste of freshly made pesto.

Secondly, pine nuts (pignolis) and fresh basil are not the most readily accessible ingredients. Pine nuts, one of the most expensive nuts on the market, not only spoil quickly but demand for them worldwide fluctuates greatly from year to year resulting in their exorbitant prices. Using walnuts or almonds makes a good substitute, but even these are not cheap. Some claim that basil is easy to grow year round, but I haven't found that to be the case. Finding it in the off season in the cooler months isn't all that easy.

Quite by accident in one of my culinary experiments to satisfy my craving for the green monster, and as so many good things happen in the kitchen, I discovered that the sunflower seeds sitting on the counter might be a good substitute for pine nuts, and, perhaps the cilantro sitting in the drawer of my refrigerator might work instead of basil for pesto. I was using a wedge of Parmigiano Reggiano at the time, so I used that instead of Romano cheese. The result: Absolutely delicious!

Cilantro (didn't ya know?) is a superfood and a card-carrying polyphenol heavyweight, comparable to basil. Polyphenols are now known to have almost supernatural powers to fight off infection, reduce cholesterol, detoxify and reduce blood sugar levels in the system. Indeed it turns out that pesto is an elixir of sorts, curative and restorative to the physical body.

Look for Part 2 coming shortly with my recipe for Cilantro Pesto.

"Pesto", from the Italian verb "pestare", means to pound or to crush.

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• The Fat Resistance Diet
• Food Network
• AnswerBag.com
  
• Pinenut.com
  

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You Can Buy Italian Cheeses Of Many Flavors

By: Luigi DeMarco

If you are looking for great cheeses Italy has hundreds on offer, so buy Italian cheese and take a gastronomic journey via its regional offerings. Cheeses made by add another distinction. Go online and explore the expanding number or venture into retail specialty stores to see how many cheeses are now available.

Regional flavor

Piedmont region has the widest selection. These range from the blue cheese Castelmagno to the Tomme cheese produced from milk produces by cow, sheep and goat and other cheeses in between. Cheeses from the region more available in the market include the soft cheeses like Fontina and the Seiras ricotta.

The northern region of Trentino Alto-Adige has cheeses demonstrating an Austrian influence. The slightly sharp and peppery Vezzena which has a hard granular texture, the mild and delicate Dobbiaco, the fragrant and delicate Grana Padano from Val di Non, the Puzzone di Moena with its intense aromatic perfume are amongst those hailing from this region. From the northeast Val Brembana in Lombardy near the Swiss border is the warm buttery tasting Mandriano di Zambla that is available in the United States and approximates to a cheese not available yet, the Formai de Mut produced in limited amounts that has a delicate aromatic herbal flavor reflecting the cows diet on the alpine pastures.

Lombardy has other standouts that include the savory spice of the Valpadana Provolones, the Taleggio which is a semi soft cheese with a meaty tone and a fruity finish, the rich and creamy Crescenza, the cheese curd Mascarpone used in deserts and Gorgonzola, the Quartiolo Lombardo that can be consumed at different maturities. When young, the cheese has a lemony acidity. After two months, the taste reveals a fruity character.

The seasoned gratable Bagoss and the uncooked low in fat and soft Quartirolo are amongst notable cheeses from this region. In Veneto, home to Venice and Verona, there is the Ubriaco, one type of the area specialty wine washed cheeses, or the Monte Veronese. The Asiago and the Piave named after a river with the flavor profile of a more intense Parmigiano Reggiano are amongst cheeses from here.

Italian grape varieties exceed even the cheese varieties. Hence, wine cheese go particularly well together, which you should keep in mind when you buy Italian cheese! Italian restaurateur Mauro Cirilli, who is a qualified Sommelier suggests trying pairing wine and cheese from the same region. An example is a mozzarella from Campania region and a regional white wine. Another is the tangy pecorino sardo the Sardinian sheep milk cheese enjoyed with the zest of the local Vermentino di Gallura.

Cirilli also suggests that people should not limit themselves to red wines with cheese, even when the cheese is strong like the Parmigiano Reggiano which he recommends trying with a vintage spumante, which has the complex flavor that blends well with the potent cheese. The Mandriano di Zambla recently available has also reported to be a good match for both reds and whites. To take trip down flavor lane will be quite an adventure if tastings progress from light to more robust cheeses and their wine accompaniments which can start when you buy Italian cheeses.


Looking to find the best deal on buy Italian cheese, then visit www.italianfoodimports.com to find the best advice on cheese for you.



Article Courtesy of EzineArticleBoard.com

Commercial Madness-- A Cheese-y Contender for Prime Superbowl Spot?

Reminiscent of this one from Superbowl XX, 1986