Pe$to
Posted by Avi
Tuesday August 31, 2010Tomorrow, the Chicago Tribune will publish a story on the rising cost of pine nuts. It turns out that lower crop yields in the U.S. and China have combined to make pine nuts even pricier than usual. And they’re not too cheap to begin with.
With basil flourishing this time of year, one of the best late summer dishes is, of course, pesto. But pine nuts are a key ingredient in pesto. Now, I know there are a lot of good variations on the traditional recipe: it can be made with parsley or another flavorful herb; almonds or other nuts; and pecorino Romano, or really any salty and crumbly cheese, in place of parmesan. Even a nut-based oil, say walnut, would probably work instead of olive oil.
But I find it’s hard to replace pine nuts in pesto and get the same quality. Last weekend, I tried substituting walnuts. The result? Eh. I didn’t toast them first, and I think they made the pesto a little bitter as a result. But pine nuts can create the same problem: this blogger, in fact, once had what can only be called pine nut syndrome.
Disappointed with my walnut pesto, I’m turning to our resident expert on all things vegetarian. Robin Robertson’s One-Dish Vegetarian Meals has four pine nut-free pesto recipes: Jalapeño Pesto, Almond-Tarragon Pesto, Parsley-Walnut Pesto, and Red Pepper-Walnut Pesto. A far more accomplished vegetarian cook than I, if I’d read Robin’s advice in the first place I’d have known to lightly toast the walnuts first (almonds can be raw).
With pine nuts’ price tag still going up, it’s a good idea to keep trying tasty alternatives, and not just for pesto. Tribune food writer William Hageman is thinking frugality, of course, but he also suggests substitutions that don’t skimp on taste: for topping pasta, coarsely chopped macadamia nuts or pecans; for salads and soups, toasted sunflower seeds.
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