One of the great pleasures of my career is spending time each year working as a Culinary Educator aboard a cruise ship alongside my wife. She teaches baking & pastry while I focus on savory cooking and culinary techniques.
Our travels take us to fascinating ports around the world, providing opportunities to explore local markets and study regional cuisines.
I have a particular affection for the Mediterranean and always make it a point to seek out local variations of pesto, one of the world's great culinary treasures.
One evening aboard ship, the pasta station served rigatoni with a choice of pesto, marinara, or Alfredo sauce. The cook prepared each order by reheating the pasta in hot water and then finishing it briefly in a sauté pan with the selected sauce.
I watched in disbelief as he prepared to heat the pesto exactly the same way.
"Horror!" flashed through my mind.
Pesto is not a cooked sauce. Heating it aggressively dulls the fresh basil aroma, darkens its vibrant color, and diminishes the delicate flavors of basil, garlic, pine nuts, and extra virgin olive oil that make pesto so special.
I may have startled the cook when I quickly called out, "Please don't cook my pesto!"
Instead, I asked him to simply toss the hot rigatoni with the pesto off the heat, allowing the warmth of the pasta to gently release the fragrance and flavor of the basil.
The result was exactly as pesto was intended to be enjoyed—fresh, vibrant, aromatic, and unmistakably Mediterranean.
Rigatoni with Pesto & Asian Greens
Pesto is far more than the classic combination of basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil associated with the hills surrounding Genoa. At its heart, pesto is a technique rather than a recipe—a celebration of fresh greens, herbs, nuts, cheese, and good olive oil transformed into a vibrant sauce. Throughout the Mediterranean and increasingly in modern kitchens, cooks have embraced the flexibility of pesto by incorporating a wide range of ingredients dictated by season, geography, abundance and innovation.
I've posted several pesto recipes and received notes from my network about their favorite pestos with arugula, carrot tops, herbs, fennel, lamb's quarters, chickweed and even seaweed.
Each green brings its own personality to the mortar and pestle—or food processor—creating sauces that are unique expressions of season and place.
Pesto is more than simply delicious. Basil is rich in antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds. The aromatic essential oils found in basil have been studied for their anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties.
The choice of nuts can dramatically influence the character of a pesto. Although pine nuts are traditional, walnuts offer a more economical and sustainable alternative and give rich flavor and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
Be sure to always toast and skin the walnuts lightly before using them. Gentle toasting awakens their natural oils, deepens their flavor, and adds complexity and sweetness to the finished sauce.
Removing the thin papery skins from toasted walnuts eliminate bitterness. and olive oil.
Rigatoni with Pesto & Asian Greens
4 portions
Prep Time for Pesto: 30 min
Yield: 1 Cup
Ingredients
2 Cups Basil leaves, rinsed in cool water (I like Genovese & Lemon basil varieties)
1 Cup. Lamb quarters, chickweed, arugula
2 Tbsp. Fresh herbs (tarragon, chives, parsley)
3 Tbsp Garlic, freshly peeled (rough chop)
4 Tbsp. Walnuts, (toasted and peeled by rubbing in a clean towl)
6-8 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated (or to taste)
t.t. Kosher Salt and Freshly Milled Black Pepper
4 Cups Rigatoni, cooked
2 Cups. Asian broccoli, choy, greens, cooked
2 Tbsp. Calabrian hot pepper
How to Prepare Rigatoni with Pesto & Asian Greens
Step 1
Assemble all of the ingredients; I like to pick the smaller, tender basil leaves and always cut off any extra stem.
For the Walnuts:
toast in the oven until golden brown, (about 8 minutes at 350 F) rub the warm walnuts in a kitchen towel to loosen much of the skin which results in a cleaner, sweeter, and more refined pesto. It is a small investment of time that pays enormous dividends in flavor.
If you are using a food processor, you can simply add all of the ingredients, pulse and wipe the sides with a rubber spatula-repeat until the ingredients are a smooth paste.
Begin by adding garlic to the mortar. Add a little salt and 1/3 of the basil; begin to slowly crush the basil with the pestle in a grinding method.
Add some of the walnuts and parmesan cheese and a little more basil and continue to grind. The basil may spill out a little so simple add it back into the mortar.
Continue adding walnuts, parmesan cheese, basil, greens and herbs, slowly drizzling in the EVOO as needed to help with the blending.
When all of ingredients have been ground to a beautiful, green, smooth paste, season to taste with salt and pepper.
Place cooked, hot rigatoni with a tablespoon of the warm pasta water into a bowl. Add the hot, cooked greens.
I recommend cooking the rigatoni and greens a few minutes before you plan to eat so you don't have to cool and reheat.
You can cook the rigatoni and greens, shock in cold water and then reheat if prefer.
Add 2 Tbsp of pesto per person to start and fold into the hot rigatoni and greens-add a little more if you like.
Season to taste-I like adding grated cheese and spicy Calabrian chili oil or red pepper flakes.
It's best not to heat the pesto, just toss onto warm, freshly cooked macaroni and enjoy.
You can store pesto in the refrigerator or freezer in an air tight container with a little EVOO on the top to stop oxidation.
