Garbage Pesto
An inexpensive, healthy, and very efficient family meal using up the "things going bad in the refrigerator". Perfect for a frugal gormet at months end
It was the end of the month. I was inspired by the several hot weather recipes I read here recently and decided to share one that I loosely followed - a Cooks Corner recipe called The Best Pesto. I 
make a "garbage pizza” that has everything on it, so I thought, why not call this one Garbage Pesto? My rule was to use up stray bits of ingredients from the refrigerator. My plan was to cut back the pot of basil on my patio so it fills out for a mozzarella & pesto pizza I’m planning to serve on August 18th. Since pesto can be made from virtually anything - be creative! Look around and see what you have “going bad in the refrigerator” and throw it in the mix! That’s what I did. I know that when my cuisinart is filled I have the right amount for pesto - so here goes.
Walnuts
Garlic
Basil
Parsley
Mint
Tomatoes
Capers
Anchovies
Pecorino
Red pepper
I nearly burned the last handful of walnuts browning them in a hot dry frying pan before tossing them in the Cuisinart. and “pulsed” until they were finely chopped. I followed them with the last 5 cloves of garlic (sprouts and brown spots removed), then I added a colander of rinsed basil leaves, what parsley I could salvage from an old bunch in the back of the frige, two sprigs of mint I had been trying to root on the kitchen counter, two tomatoes (minus the bad spots and the cores) ripening on the windowsill, the last of a small bottle of capers, ditto the final four anchovies in a jar left over from who knows when, a handful of grated cheese from the bottom of the container and a couple of shakes of red pepper flakes. Then I turned on the cuisinart.
You know those loose olives you can buy by the pound in some supermarkets? When they are used up I usually save the empty plastic pint containers because of the olive oil left in them. So while the processor ran I poured in the dregs from 2 of them, and added more olive oil until I liked the consistency. That’s when I knew it was done!
I also grilled 2 chicken breasts I’d been marinating, and boiled up a mess o’ pasta, (whole grain to avoid the white flour) and saved a bit of pasta water to thin the pesto even more. The great thing about this - besides the incredible taste - was the satisfaction of getting rid of all the bits and pieces of good, but-what-can-I-do-with-them ingredients just taking up space around the kitchen. Top it off with a salad (again being creative with the ingredients) and you have a perfect hot weather meal, with enough left over for lunch the next day and a cup of pesto reserved for future use! I hope you like it - Enjoy!
Richard Frisbie, FOOD Correspondent:
RICHARD FRISBIE is published twice a month to Gather Essentials: Food
It is a food junkie's take on growing, raising, preparing and - above all else - eating food. Together we’ll explore the trends, addictions, equipment and regional specialties that make up the sometimes mundane and sometimes sublime cooking and dining experience. You can keep up with my other postings and Gather activity by joining my Gather network -- just click the orange “Connect” button on the upper left-hand side of this page --- I look forward to hearing from you.
BIO - Richard has been writing culinary travel articles for more than five years as a columnist for his local newspapers, and as a regular contributor to the many Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountain and other regional New York publications. His most recent addition to that list is a wine column called “Fruit of the Vine” for Life in the Finger Lakes magazine. Online, he writes frequent articles for EDGE publications and Travel Lady, as well as Gather.
You can read all of Richard's articles http://rfrisbie.gather.com/
or find him with the other Food Correspondents, plus celebrity chef content and plenty of other Foodies at http://foodtalk.gather.com
rate
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 33
Smart Paul - leftovers are just ingredients waiting for a muse
Theresa, I have used the blender sometimes to make pesto....if you have a blender you can be in business in no time!
Seriously, the surprise was the mint - a nice piquant touch - that and the slices of hot garlic in the salad. (does anyone even read image captions?)
Good idea, Richard. Thanks for posting it.
Risa - that sounds so good, using the cream and chicken broth - YUM - thanks for sharing that great idea!
Jessie & Mandi - always good to hear from you. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. You know, I work hard to create good content that often gets little notice. Then I toss off a little piece like this and am embarrassed by the attention it gets. (The pesto was good, though!:)
This reminds me of the days when I was studying to be a chef. My mentors were German and Austrian chefs who had gone through WW2. The most frugal people I have ever known. I remember once being told to scrub down beef bones that had started to turn with bleach water so they could be used for stock. A little too far for my taste!
I trained with a fabulous, also frugal, French/American chef - but she never, ever, would have done that!
Katrina - I agree!
Elaine - basil makes you ill? You poor baby! Parsley and mint pesto for you! Even the tops of celery & beets (imagine THAT pesto!) would be good - Enjoy!
Thanks for the kind words, Bruce. We frequently entertain - light snacks & cocktails - and I'm that person known for making my own crackers! THAT's how frugal I am!
Lots of good ideas, Richard. Thanks!
P.S. I, too, think it is great fun to make crackers.
FYI - my crackers are really little pastry rounds I cook and then reheat for hot canapes, or use cold for spreads and light fillings - both sweet and savory! Always a big hit!