Hugh? Tassy? Pesto... I got some in a vacuumed packed container on the deli side of Lowe's about a month ago. I opened it before the expiration date and it tasted pretty good. It was my first experience with pesto... The container said it would be good for two weeks after it was opened. I know it had been about two weeks (give or take) since I ate it last. It didn't taste all that great the second time around. Could it have gone bad? It was already green. How can you tell? lol.. I was wondering if maybe I was just really hungry the first time around... Where do you get good pesto? Do you make your own? And how long does it last?
Everything you always wanted to know about pesto http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pesto and a list of Rachael's receipes. http://www.rachaelray.com/food_results.php?query=pesto
For store-bought I LOVE the HT Traders (Harris Teeter) brand. It's in a tiny little glass jar in a box usually near the canned mushrooms and such. It's expensive, though, so I generally stock up when there's an HT brand sale. I'm sure homemade is probably better, but this brand is great to have on-hand to add to recipes.
Homemade is best of course, but it's not cheap. Tons of fresh basil, pine nuts, parmesan, olive oil. Maybe a little salt but not much cuz the cheese is salty. Think that's it. I have made it with walnuts too and it's good just not as much flavor. I just mix it in the blender until the consistency and flavor are right to me. You can freeze it, too. Trader Joe's has a pretty good one for store bought.
I always look for it in a jar, and it seems to be good for long time in the frig. My mom also makes her own, and its awesome!
I guess by nature pesto is oily...but to me the Classico is oilier (if that's a word!) and a little less spicy than the HT Traders. I think it's up to individual taste, probably.
Yeah - sometimes I pour off some the extra oil on top, or just mix it in, depends on what I'm using it on/with.
If you turned green than it went bad! I have never prepared a meal with Pesto, I get 90% of my meals from a restaurant. This evening it was Sushi with a large seaweed salad.
Duh! I never thought of pouring it off...or maybe soaking it up with a paper towel. Next time I have a coupon I'll try that. Thanks for the idea!
Homemade is best, especially if you use a good extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and good parmesan (preferably reggiano). Pine nuts can be a little hard to find. Store it with a sheet of plastic wrap in contact with it in the fridge like you would pudding to keep it from getting a skin. For something to die for, make a good, homemade minestrone soup and put a dollup of fresh pesto on top.
