Pesto Pantesco

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/pesto-pantesco/

Not all pesto is from Genoa, and not all pesto is green. This variation, from the Italian island Pantelleria, is a rosy hue thanks to the addition of tomatoes. Salted capers give it a deep salinity, while mint adds freshness. Traditionally, the tomatoes are peeled and seeded, but this recipe tastes great with whole tomatoes, too. If you’d prefer to peel and seed them, for a somewhat redder and smoother pesto, see below.

To peel tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Have a large bowl of ice water nearby. Using a sharp paring knife, cut a shallow X into the bottom of each tomato. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to the ice water. Let sit for 1 minute, then drain onto a kitchen towel, then, using a paring knife, peel them. Halve the tomatoes, then scrape out their seeds before proceeding with the recipe.

• 1 pound Roma (plum) tomatoes (peeled if desired, see headnote), roughly chopped • 1 cup (3 ounces) blanched almonds, roughly chopped • 3 tablespoons salted capers, rinsed and soaked until their saltiness mellows, then drained • 1 cup (1 ounce) packed fresh basil leaves • 1 cup (1 ounce) packed fresh mint leaves • 2 cloves garlic • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil • Fine sea salt (optional) • 1 pound cooked pasta or a dozen crostini, for serving (optional)

• Step 1 In a food processor, pulse together the tomatoes, almonds, capers, basil, mint and garlic until chunky. With the food processor running, add in the olive oil and process until smooth. Taste, and season with salt, if desired. • Step 2 Toss with pasta, use as a topping for crostini or serve as you’d like.

Basil-Butter Pasta

This pasta captures the essence of basil, without pesto’s garlic, nuts and salty cheese tussling for attention. It smells like a sun-warmed basil plant, one of summer's greatest moments. To make it, simply blanch basil leaves to lock in their color, then blitz them with butter. As the bright-green basil butter melts onto hot pasta, it carries the sweet pepperiness (and the smell, too!) of the herb into every nook and cranny.

INGREDIENTS Yield:4 servings • Salt • 3cups packed basil leaves (about 80 grams, from 2 large bunches) • 6tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced, at room temperature • 1pound of any pasta, any type

PREPARATION • Step 1 Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Place the basil in a heatproof colander. Once the water is boiling, submerge the colander with the basil into the pot and use a spoon to push the leaves into the water. Blanch for 10 seconds, then immediately rinse the leaves under cold water to stop the cooking. Squeeze them dry with your hands. Reserve the boiling water. • Step 2 Transfer the basil to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the butter and process, scraping the sides of the food processor as needed, until very smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Basil butter will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for several months.) • Step 3 Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Return the pasta and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to the pot, then add the basil butter and toss to coat. (Doesn’t it smell incredible?) If the pasta is dry instead of silky and glossy, add more pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt.

Basil-Butter Pasta

This pasta captures the essence of basil, without pesto’s garlic, nuts and salty cheese tussling for attention. It smells like a sun-warmed basil plant, one of summer's greatest moments. To make it, simply blanch basil leaves to lock in their color, then blitz them with butter. As the bright-green basil butter melts onto hot pasta, it carries the sweet pepperiness (and the smell, too!) of the herb into every nook and cranny.

INGREDIENTS Yield:4 servings • Salt • 3cups packed basil leaves (about 80 grams, from 2 large bunches) • 6tablespoons unsalted butter, sliced, at room temperature • 1pound of any pasta, any type

PREPARATION • Step 1 Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Place the basil in a heatproof colander. Once the water is boiling, submerge the colander with the basil into the pot and use a spoon to push the leaves into the water. Blanch for 10 seconds, then immediately rinse the leaves under cold water to stop the cooking. Squeeze them dry with your hands. Reserve the boiling water. • Step 2 Transfer the basil to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the butter and process, scraping the sides of the food processor as needed, until very smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use. (Basil butter will keep, refrigerated, for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for several months.) • Step 3 Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until tender. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta. Return the pasta and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to the pot, then add the basil butter and toss to coat. (Doesn’t it smell incredible?) If the pasta is dry instead of silky and glossy, add more pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Season to taste with salt.

Fish Tacos al Pastor

A chief contender for dinner party raving, these savory-sweet tacos de pescado al pastor, from the chef Luis Herrera of Ensenada restaurant in Brooklyn, are impressive parcels of celebration. Grilling the pineapple gets you close to the charred flavor of al pastor, “in the style of a shepherd,” without the traditional rotating vertical spit, a method of barbecuing lamb that Lebanese immigrants brought to Mexico in the late 19th century. In place of the more common pork are grilled, buttery whitefish fillets stained with brick-red chile sauce. This knockout adobo, redolent of raisins and raked with warm spices, is a labor of love for the people you love, so lean into the process. You can make the adobo and pineapple pico de gallo a day ahead, and even marinate the fish the night before. Then, on taco day, just grill the fish to serve, complete with grilled corn, a cooler of lagers and the best corn tortillas you can find — the kinds that slacken and steam over the fire. Enjoy these DIY tacos with your favorite salsa or hot sauce, and don’t skip the lime wedges; they provide the acid. Any leftover adobo can be used to marinate chicken, pork and vegetables throughout the week, or kept frozen for up to three months. —Eric Kim




INGREDIENTS
Yield:
8 to 10 servings
FOR THE FISH
8 to 10skin-on white fish fillets, such as branzino, snapper or sea bass, or 4 to 6 swordfish steaks (2 ½ to 3 pounds total)
Kosher salt
1pineapple, trimmed, peeled and cored (or 2 pounds store-bought cut pineapple)
4plum tomatoes
1small white onion, cut into large chunks
4garlic cloves
5guajillo chiles (1 ounce); see Tip
5ancho chiles (3 ounces); see Tip
Grapeseed or other neutral oil
2cinnamon sticks, preferably Mexican
5whole cloves
1teaspoon cumin seeds
1teaspoon black peppercorns
FOR THE PINEAPPLE PICO DE GALLO
1cup finely diced red onion
½cup finely chopped cilantro
½cup extra-virgin olive oil
1serrano chile, finely chopped
Kosher salt
FOR SERVING
Whole cilantro leaves and thinly sliced serrano chile, for garnish
About 40 corn tortillas, warmed, for serving
Lime wedges, for serving




PREPARATION
Step 1
Prepare the fish: Season the fish on all sides with salt and refrigerate until ready to cook. Prepare an outdoor grill for direct high-heat cooking or heat an indoor grill or grill pan over medium-high.

Step 2
Make the pineapple adobo: Cut one-third of the trimmed pineapple into large chunks (about 2 ½ cups) and cut the remaining into ¼-inch-thick slabs. Place the pineapple slabs and chunks, tomatoes, onion, garlic and dried chiles on a large sheet pan.

Step 3
Grease the grill: Use tongs to grip a wadded paper towel dipped in oil and rub the grates. Using a grill basket if you have one, grill the pineapple, tomatoes, onion and garlic (cover if using a gas grill) and turn occasionally until charred in spots and tender. The garlic will take about 5 minutes; the pineapple slabs and onion 8 to 12 minutes; the pineapple chunks 12 to 15 minutes; and the tomatoes 20 to 25 minutes. Toast the dried chiles directly on the grill, turning once, until fragrant, just a few seconds to a minute. Turn off the heat.

Step 4
Wearing gloves, remove the stems and seeds from the dried chiles. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil, add the dried chiles and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes, then transfer to a plate. Save the cooking water.

Step 5
Meanwhile, toast the cinnamon sticks, cloves, cumin seeds and peppercorns in a skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant, about a minute.

Step 6
To a blender, add the grilled vegetables, pineapple chunks (save the slabs), rehydrated chiles, toasted spices and 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt or 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt and blend until very smooth, adding a splash or two of the chile water if needed to blend. Pass the adobo through a fine-mesh sieve. Taste and add salt as needed.

Step 7
In a large, deep pot or Dutch oven, heat ½ cup grapeseed oil over medium-high until wisps of smoke start to appear. Carefully add the adobo to the hot oil (watch out for splattering) and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant and emulsified, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Step 8
Make the pineapple pico de gallo: Finely dice the grilled pineapple slabs, then add to a bowl along with the red onion, cilantro, olive oil and serrano chile. Season to taste with salt and stir to combine.

Step 9
Cook the fish: Heat the grill or grill pan to medium-high. Grease the grates again. Generously brush both sides of the fish with the adobo. Grill the fish, skin side down, until the skin is slightly charred and comes off the grates easily, 4 to 7 minutes on the first side and 30 seconds on the second side. Grill swordfish for 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a large platter.

Step 10
To serve, top each fillet with some of the pineapple pico de gallo and garnish with the cilantro leaves and serrano chile slices. Serve with tortillas and lime wedges.

TIP
Mild in heat with rich, Christmasy fruitiness, dried guajillo and ancho chiles can be found at many supermarkets, Mexican grocery stores and online. The bright red guajillos are non-negotiable, Mr. Herrera says, but if you really need to, in place of the dark, raisiny anchos, you can substitute the same weight of pasilla chiles or 2 tablespoons chipotle en adobo.

Fish Tacos al Pastor

Pasta With Chopped Pesto and Peas

This pesto doesn’t call for a food processor, blender, or mortar and pestle — and it’s better for it. Instead, all of the elements are chopped and mashed together by hand. (Pesto means “to pound, crush or smash” in Italian.) In Tuscany, this would be done with a half moon-shaped mezzaluna, but a chef’s knife does the job, too. The result is a more textured mix with bright pops of flavor, like a sauce, herb salad and nut garnish in one. Basil and pine nuts are classic choices, but this version, “I Dream of Dinner (So You Don’t Have To),” by Ali Slagle (Clarkson Potter, 2022), was guided by the pesto ratio in “Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat” by Samin Nosrat. It works with whatever soft herbs and nuts that you like and have on hand.

• Kosher salt and black pepper • ½cup raw walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, almonds or a combination • 2ounces Parmesan, plus more for serving • 1large garlic clove • 2packed cups soft herbs, such as basil, parsley, mint or arugula • ½cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving • 1pound curly pasta, such as casarecce or fusilli • 2cups (10 ounces) frozen peas

• Step 1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a small or medium skillet over medium, toast nuts, shaking the skillet occasionally until browned (try one to see), 4 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board to cool. • Step 2 As the nuts cool, into a large bowl, grate the Parmesan on the small holes of a box grater (or pulse chunks in a blender). • Step 3 Add the garlic clove and a pinch of salt to the pile of nuts and coarsely chop the nuts and garlic together. Add a handful of the herbs and another pinch of salt, and coarsely chop. (Opt for forceful, purposeful chops as opposed to soft, timid ones.) Toss and smash the mixture every few chops. Repeat with the remaining herbs, salting at each step, until a wet, coarse paste forms. Stir into the cheese, then stir in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. • Step 4 Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add the peas to the pasta. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain. Add the pasta and peas to the pesto and stir to combine. Add pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce. Season to taste with salt, pepper, more oil and more Parmesan.