Basil Pecan Pesto

I made pesto today. Basil Pecan Pesto to be more precise. I decided to make pesto, because I still have basil in the garden that looks good and I want to use it before a frost comes and takes it away for another year. Not that I need to worry about a frost quite yet here in Texas. We don't typically see the first frost until mid-November. However, last night's temperatures were dipping low enough that I figured I'd better get on it.

I usually make pesto in a food processor, but a while ago I watched a video in which Jamie Oliver made it in a mortar and pestle. Pesto is after all a form of the word pestare, which in Italian means to pound or crush. To be considered true pesto it should be made in a mortar and pestle, because this is how it was traditionally made. So, not one to argue with tradition I decided to have a go at it tradizionalmente. Ok anyone who knows me knows that I do argue with some tradition, and I did leave out the cheese* and swap out pecans for pine nuts.

I followed Signor Lebovitz's instructions, but used the Basil Pecan Pesto recipe I found on Epicurious. I wanted to switch it up a bit and I had some pecans on hand that I needed to use up.

The final result is definitely not as uniform as compared to using a food processor. It's a bit thicker and almost like a chutney. I actually like it more, because it has a bit of a bite versus being a creamy sauce like most food processor pestos. That's not to say that I've sworn off the food processor for making pesto. Convenience wins out most times. But, for those moments when I have a bit more time on my hands, I think I'll stick with tradition.

*I left out the cheese, because I try to avoid dairy as much as possible. I'll save the why for another post. I also didn't have any Parmesan on hand, but I probably would have left it out. Probably.