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08/22/2019 12:01 AMI have two recipes for you today. The recipe for chili crisp is from a writer who always has a jar in his refrigerator. He puts it on everything including “eggs, guacamole, [and] pizza.” It does seem spicy, so if you make it, try a little less than a quarter cup of red pepper flakes, although I do like something spicy, especially for breakfast.
The other recipe is basil pesto I have made for decades. I use it in all my red sauce recipes, often in stews and love it by itself for pasta. I don’t have a garden this year, but friends are giving me big handfuls of basil, my pals on the Board of Education gave me a gift certificate for superb olive oil at Capizzano in Pawcatuck. I have a bag of pine nuts in the freezer. My food processor does all the rest.
Lee White of Old Lyme has been a food editor and restaurant reviewer for more than 25 years. You can email her at leeawhite@aol.com.
Chili Crisp
From Bon Appetit, August 2019
4 small shallots, thinly sliced
cloves from 2 heads of garlic (yes, heads of garlic)
6 star anise pods
2 cinnamon sticks
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
2-inch knob of ginger
¼ cup red pepper flakes
2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
Yield: 2 cups
In a medium saucepan, toss shallots and garlic over medium heat along with star anise pods and cinnamon sticks and vegetable oil. Cook, reducing heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer and swirling pan occasionally until shallot and garlic are browned and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes (it is important to go slow).
Peel and very finely chop ginger. Mix in a medium bowl with red pepper flakes, soy sauce, and sugar. Strain shallot mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into ginger mixture. Let shallots and garlic cool in sieve (they will crisp further). Add to sauce.
Do Ahead: chili crisp can be made 1 month head. Cover and chill.
Pesto alla Genovese
(from 365 Ways to Cook Pasta by Marie Simmons, Harper Collins, New York, 1988)
I triple or quadruple (or more) and freeze pesto in small zipper plastic bags. The pesto will last for more than a year and will thaw in minutes.
Yield: 1 cup or enough for 1 pound of pasta
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
⅓ cup pignoli (pine nuts)*
1 large garlic clove, chopped
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese**
Finely chop basil, nuts, garlic, and salt in a food processor. With processor still running, add oil in a slow, steady stream through the feed tube until mixture is thoroughly blended. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the cheese.
Freeze in tiny freezer bags. When ready to use, you can thaw the pesto in freezer bag between your two hands.
*Pine nuts are very expensive but worth it. However, walnuts can be used. The flavor will be different but still tasty.
**Please do not use the grated cheese that comes in those containers that sit on the supermarket shelf. You cannot believe what a difference fresh, high-quality cheese makes. A good supermarket will grate Parmigiana-Reggiano cheese for you (I have them grate Parmigiana-Reggiano and Romano together, which drives purists crazy) and you can store the cheese in an air-tight container in your refrigerator or freezer. Even better, visit your local cheesemonger, buy a small chunk, and grate it yourself as you need it.