Pesto's the Besto!

Pesto and I have a short yet checkered past together. Towards the beginning of my culinary exploration pesto loaned it's timeless clout to my food repertoire. In it came calvary and all, yielding me with multiple praises of admiration as friends and family were served up by the pound. But somewhere within that ambiguous sauce my deepest most digestible secret laid. I had used store bought "assistance."

I was the master with personal disguises of fresh basil, garlic and handfuls of parmesan cheese. Today, however I am no longer convinced that those augmentations qualify me to have called the sauce my own.

My grand parade of entertaining with store bought pesto plummeted after attending my exorbitant culinary school. Night after night of sauce preparation on a grading scale, lead me to uncertainty as to how I could dodge stammering questions of what exactly happened to my previous pesto recipe.

Now being at a safe distance of about 7,000 miles from anyone that knew me or my pesto sauce previously, I would venture in to the world of basil and pine nuts once again.

Conceivably it could have been my estranged past that lead me to heave my ingredients into the large wooden mortar and pestle; leaving my modern blender to collect the day's dust. I knew this time there would be no doubt of the authenticity of my sauce. I do not necessarily encourage this technique if your not entirely quilt stricken, the good old trusty electricity makes this a much more manageable feast.

The beautiful thing about pesto is that it can coat any noodle, grilled vegetable, chicken or seafood with massive integrity. Each dignified flavor melts perfectly into one another, leaving out the need for any additional fuss. I like to make up a big batch and throw it all into the freezer for future use.

Whether it is just for two or for a large dinner party, I know that I will never have to ponder over the How-To's of smuggling bottles of prepackaged pesto sauce.

Fresh Basil Pesto with Arugula & Soba Noodles

The basil found locally is not the dignified Sweet Basil varietal that is utilized in Italian pestos.

After a little light research on the foliage it is my guess that it's the Spicy Globe variety. Which has a bit more of a black pepper essence, but once it's all whirled up with garlic, extra virgin olive oil and quality parmesan cheese it's hard to detect any difference.

Basil Pesto:

Serves 2 good sized portions

Fresh basil leaves 100gr ( 1/4 cup)

Garlic 20gr ( 1.5 Tbs)

Olive Oil 150gr ( 1/2 cup)

Pine nuts, toasted 40gr ( 3 Tbs)

Parmesan cheese, grated 40gr ( 3 Tbs)

Lemon juice 10gr ( 2 Tbs)

Salt, to taste

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Combine the ingredients together inside a blender or weapon of choice. Blend till all ingredients are broken down, but I still like a little texture to mine rather than completely all pureed.

Boil about 100gr ( 3.5 oz ) of soba noodles per person. Soba noodles are similar to spaghetti and made from buckwheat, I like their hearty flavor.

Once boiled add to a saute pan along with enough pesto sauce to coat all the noodles. Add a handful of arugula leaves and allow a low flame to heat the the sauce slightly and wilt the leaves. Pesto sauce should not be brought up to a boil for the flavors are best when still in a raw state.

If Caprese & Bruschetta Fell in Love...

If one would have seen fit to post a run-on sentence for a blog title, they would have happily labeled this one as: "If Caprese & Bruschetta Fell in Love, Had a Love Child & That Child Later on Met an Oven, Recipe. "

Originally for this post I began jotting down ideas for a "Play on Caprese." But I was left with 2 pretty big obstacles: How the heck am I going to find fresh buffalo mozzarella and a peaked summer-time tomato?

After debating for an unnatural amount of time on how I was to create an authentic caprese salad, under the assumption I would not find buffalo mozzarella here. Yet I'm still apprehensive to place my foot inside one of those notorious French shops in Lagos. Yes, I've heard you can find "everything" there, along with the rumors of street-wrapped lines, and fist fights woman begin over newly arrived goods. I've even heard of the heavy price tags that come attached, and how they're enough to make even the wealthiest of us weak.

Sure the urge to barricade a spot inside one of these massive lines has slowly come, but it's even quicker to pass. Leaving me undecided if the fear is of loving or loathing it there.

However with much contemplation at my relatively calm, dare I say boring grocery powerhouse, I found a decent feta cheese. I could not help but be intrigued by the thought of swapping it out for the mozzarella.

With tomatoes in mind I stuck with my weekly staple of cherry tomatoes. Their shelf life is surely enduring and due to their nature they're usually consistently sweet. Even still, I though it best to enhance their flavor further by popping them in the oven. Allowing them to roast with olive oil and sea salt.

As my mind continued to conceptualize, one way or the other, I decided to throw it all on top of a grilled crisp baguette. Bruschetta style.

Within the first bit I was completely enraptured by the flavors and all around me kindly vanished. Leaving me alone to enthrall in the glory of the smoky grilled bread, caramelized tomatoes, salty feta cheese, sweet and spicy balsamic peppercorn glaze, and fresh basil leaves. A match made in heaven.

Roasted cherry tomato & feta bruschetta with a balsamic peppercorn reduction

Balsamic Peppercorn Reduction:

Balsamic vinegar 100gr (3.5 oz)

Brown sugar 15gr (1 Tbs)

Cracked black peppercorns 2gr (1/2 Tsp)

Salt, pinch

Place all ingredients in a saute pan, bring to a light boil and keep a very close eye as it thickens. This will not need much time, around 5 mins will do. When it reaches a glaze consistency immediately remove from the heat and all to cool before touching/tasting. (This can be hard I know!)

Feta and Roasted Cherry Tomato Brucshetta:

Serves 4 people

Cherry tomatoes 500gr (1lbs)

Olive oil 50 gr (4Tbs)

Sea salt 1 gr (about 2 pinches)

Feta cheese, cubed 240gr ( 8 oz)

Fresh basil leaves, julienne 10gr (2 Tsp)

Place olive oil onto a baking sheet and add the cherry tomatoes. Toss the tomatoes around in the olive oil and add salt. Coat evenly.

Place in a 180 C oven (350F) and roast for 7-10 mins, depending on the size of the tomatoes. The tomatoes are small and will not take much time to caramelize.

Remove from the oven and set the tomatoes aside in a large mixing bowl. Add the feta cheese cubes to the roasting tray. Stirring the cheese around to absorb the pan drippings, remaining olive oil and slightly heating through. Add to the tomatoes.

Check for seasoning and let cool slightly. When ready to serve add the fresh basil leaves and place on top of the sliced grilled baguette.

Drizzle the balsamic peppercorn reduction as a finishing touch. Can be served hot or at room temperature.

Yes, Eat Well Lagos has had a makeover since its last debut. The beautiful blood orange photograph is the work of Jeff Taffoya.