- - - - - P E S T O - - - - - This is a garnish that can be used on plain pasta or bread, or added to soups, sandwiches, or other dishes. Ingredients: Fresh basil leaves and flowers (no stems or seeds) Walnuts Parmesan, romano, and/or other similar hard cheeses Garlic Banana pepper, hotness to taste (optional) Olive oil, high quality Salt, black pepper Lemon juice (optional) Method: Basil, walnuts, garlic, and banana peppers should all be chopped medium-fine by hand. Combine all ingredients in a large, sturdy bowl, and mash together for a couple of minutes using something like a wooden spoon. Use only enough olive oil to reach the consistency of a paste. Approximate quantities (these are rough guesses, adjust all to taste): 1-2 cup chopped basil 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup grated cheese 1-2 Tbs chopped garlic 1-2 Tbs chopped banana pepper 1/2 cup olive oil salt, black pepper, to taste 1-2 tsp lemon juice Notes: Many pesto recipes call for use of a food processor or blender. You can do that, it just changes the style somewhat. You can make the pesto fairly thick, and add more olive oil to thin when serving, depending on the use. Lemon juice is optional, and you probably shouldn't use very much (otherwise, this will start to taste more like a salad dressing). You might just want to use it sparingly on the top surface to retard browning during storage. To store, put in jars and freeze. Alternatively, distibute the pesto into plastic ice-cube trays, cover tightly and freeze. With the latter method, it's easy to retieve only as much as needed at any given time. Pesto will turn brown in the refrigerator after a day or two. 1/99, Dan Singer