PANAMA CITY — A plentiful garden of fresh basil led Chef Paul Denaro to create myriad uses for pesto.
“I had a garden several years ago that was just herbs, and I had so much basil toward the end of the year that I made pesto for everything,” he recalled. “I made different recipes I thought of and I sent recipes and pesto to family for gifts.”
Denaro, a certified registered nurse anesthetist at Gulf Coast Medical Center, attended Johnson & Wales in Providence, R.I., and worked as a sous chef at a fine dining restaurant in Bristol, R.I., before joining the Army Reserve.
“Cooking has always been a passion. I worked in the Italian section of Providence,” said Denaro, who grew up in New Hampshire.
On Saturday morning, Denaro, wearing his chef coat embellished with the NFL New England Patriots logo, shared his recipe for Pesto Sauce and a couple of his other dishes using pesto during Variations A’ La Pesto at Somethin’s Cookin,’ 93 E. 11th St.
I don’t remember when I first tried pesto, but I have been a fan as long as I can remember.
My husband and I first made Cherry Tomatoes with Pesto for a pot luck dinner party about 11 years ago. Each couple was asked to bring a dish from a different country, and we were given Italy. So we did what any newly engaged couple would do, we went to the bookstore together and picked out a cookbook, “Italian, the essence of mediterranean cuisine” by Carla Capalbo.
The appetizer, which looks impressive and tastes even better, has continued to be a hit with friends, co-workers and now our son. After this year’s Greek Basil (aka Spicy Globe Basil) turned into a flourishing bush this summer, we began regularly making the recipe again.
But if you haven’t yet begun your herb garden, it’s not too late.
“Basil is a warm season annual herb that thrives in warm weather and will be killed by a hard frost. However, if you allow it to flower and go to seed, you will likely have new plants in the spring,” said Julie McConnell, Horticulture Agent with the University of Florida/IFAS Bay County Extension. “It can still be grown in the Fall, but gardeners may want to put it in container so that it can be moved indoors if temperatures get close to freezing. There are many different types available such as Sweet Basil, Thai Basil, Globe Basil, Purple Basil and many make attractive additions to the garden in addition to having different flavors.”
Since pesto has just a few ingredients, the freshness and type of basil can make a big difference. Experiment to find your favorite flavor.
“We use the regular Sweet Basil,” said Somethin’s Cookin’ owner Hannelore Holland. “It’s the most common type of basil.”
The popular Sweet Basil is what typically is found in grocery stores.
The Spicy Globe Basil, which we grow in our backyard garden, also may be used in any dishes which you typically would use the Sweet Basil. The smaller leaves of the Globe have a stronger flavor than the shiny leaves of the Sweet. The Genovese Basil is a Sweet variety that originated in Italy and also is used in pesto and insalata caprese.
“Pesto is an Italian name that came from the Italian word ‘pestare,’ which means ‘to crush,’” said Denaro, who explained the original preparation method was with a mortar and pestle, not a food processor. “Pesto came from the Genoa are in Italy. My grandmother on my dad’s side was Italian and she made the best food ever.”
Traditional pesto usually is a mixture of basil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and pine nuts with Parmesan, but there are many variations.
“French will make it and add parsley to it, and they don’t use pine nuts,” Denaro explained. “Typically, pesto is served as a pasta sauce.”
The recipe for pesto I use with cherry tomatoes includes 3 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan and 6 tablespoons of pecornio, which I fold in after the cup of packed basil is processed with 4 cloves of fresh minced garlic, 7 tablespoons of Organic Chemlali extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons of pine nuts and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. After slicing off the tops of 1 pound of cherry tomatoes and scooping out the seeds, each tomato is filled with pesto. Though the recipe says the pesto may be frozen before the cheeses are folded in, we always end up making all of it. What we don’t use in the tomatoes, we have served over angel hair pasta or even rubbed on a steak.
“Basil and tomato are natural together,” Denaro added. “In Italy, tomatoes are like nothing you have ever had, just take a bite like an apple. With fresh ingredients, you don’t need much else, cook very simply. Pesto is an easy process.”
For his Pesto Sauce, Denaro brought in about 8 cups of fresh Sweet Basil from his garden and put it into the large Cuisinart.
“This is organic. How do I know? I grow it. I harvested this today,” he said.
Denaro then added 1 cup of extra virgin olive oil, ¾ cup of pine nuts and 4 inches of garlic paste to blend before pulsing in the cup of Parmesan.
“I’ve roasted the pine nuts before. You can put a little color for flavor, but don’t do it too much or it will get bitter,” he warned. “I’m not going to add salt; the cheese is salty enough.”
Extra salt would have been overpowering on the salty combinations for his bruschetta recipe.
For the Embellished Pesto Bruschetta, Denaro used a loaf of Holland’s fresh braided bread, but any loaf of bread may be used. He topped each slice with pesto, crabmeat, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese before baking.
“Just use regular artichoke hearts. Don’t use marinated,” he advised. “Enough flavor is going on here already, plus they’re vinegary. I am just using a couple of kalamata olives on each one. Tomatoes and basil go awesome together, and I have sun-dried tomatoes. You put whatever you want on it like a pizza.”
The combinations were delicious, and there was plenty of salt from the two cheeses and olives. The slightly soft toasted braided bread added a little sweetness, and the creamy goat cheese complemented the chewier texture of the sun-dried tomatoes.
For the Chicken Breast with Pesto Goat Cheese, Denaro combined the pesto with goat cheese before spreading the mixture on pounded chicken breasts, skin side down. Chicken breasts usually come as boneless and skinless in the grocery stores, so you might have to buy it bone-in and then remove the bone.
“This is a messy job,” admitted Denaro, who then rolled the chicken up and put toothpicks in to hold the thick roll together. “When the protein cooks, it shrinks.”
After seasoning the chicken and searing it in a skillet, the chicken was put in the oven to finish cooking.
The same recipe also could be used for pork tenderloin.
“For the shrimp, I have Bay shrimp, more flavorful and not as big, 16/20 a pound,” said Denaro, who movedon to the Shrimp and Pesto Cream Sauce over Angel Hair. “The only thing with this is sometimes the cheese will stick to the bottom, so reduce the heat.”
He added some of his original pasta sauce to the skillet with half and half to reduce down to about half before adding Parmesan.
“For the consistency, you want something that will just coat the back of the spoon,” said Denaro, who added a little more cream. “This should be a light dish, just to coat the noodles.”
Some of the sauce was spooned over Somethin’s Cookin’ fresh angel hair pasta for a guest with shellfish allergies, before the shrimp were added to the creamy sauce to cook.
“We can make a cream sauce and put in shrimp or serve it over fish or chicken with pasta,” said Denaro, who then took the chicken out of the oven.
The tender chicken made a beautiful presentation on the plate alongside a salad of fresh mixed greens drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette, though I think I also would like it served alongside pasta with more pesto.
“I threw these together, but try to come up with something even better,” encouraged Denaro. “I want to hear about it. Cooking is limited only to your imagination.”
Pesto Sauce
8 cups fresh basil
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
¾ cup pine nuts
4 cloves garlic
1 cup Parmesan
Add first four ingredients to food processor; mix well. Pulse in Parmesan.
Source: Chef Paul Denaro
Embellished Pesto Bruschetta
1 loaf bread, cut into 1-inch slices
2/3 cup Pesto
6 ounces fresh jump lump or lump crabmeat
1 can artichoke hearts
½ cup kalamata olives, pitted, halved
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
1½ cups goat cheese
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bread on baking sheet. Spread each with pesto, top with last five ingredients. Bake until slightly browned, serve.
Source: Chef Paul Denaro
Chicken Breast with Pesto Goat Cheese
4 each boneless chicken breasts
¾ cup Pesto Sauce
1¼ cup goat cheese
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper and garlic
All-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap. Combine Pesto Sauce and goat cheese in bowl; mix well. Spread ¼ of the mixture on the chicken, roll and secure with toothpicks. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Heat olive oil in heavy gauge skillet. Season chicken rolls with salt, pepper and garlic, dredge in flour, then pan fry until golden brown on all sides. Roast chicken in oven until cooked throughout, about 20 minutes. Remove toothpicks, slice chicken and arrange shingled on plate; serve.
Source: Chef Paul Denaro
Shrimp and Pesto Cream Sauce over Angel Hair
20 shrimp, peeled and deveined
2/3 cup pesto
2½ cups half and half cream
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 pound angel hair pasta
Place a pot of water on the stove to boil the pasta.
Add pesto to half and half cream in heavy gauge skillet, then allow sauce to simmer and thicken. Add Parmesan to thicken. Add shrimp to sauce to cook.
While the sauce is simmering, cook pasta al dente; strain. Place pasta on plate and arrange shrimp over pasta and coat with sauce.
Source: Chef Paul Denaro
MORE COOKING WITH HERBS
- What: Educational program by the University of Florida/ IFAS Bay County Extension with focus on herb gardening and cooking tips, types of herbs, drying fresh herbs, making herb mixes, using herbs to shake salt habit, using herbs on seafood and taste testing with breads, seafood, side dishes and dips
- When: 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 8
- Where: Bay County Extension Office, 2728 E. 14th St., Panama City
- Cost: $10 per person; registration and payment due by Nov. 3
- Reservations: 784-6105 or bay@ifas.ufl.edu