My mom’s backyard basil has been getting a little out of control. It’s doing so well that she has way more than she can possibly use for her and my dad (who isn’t too crazy about basil to begin with). So, on her last visit to Habanero and me, she bequeathed a generous portion of the herb – already cleaned and dried! – along with some pignoli nuts, and a recommendation to try Heidi Swanson’s recipe for “How to Make Pesto like an Italian Grandmother.”

The recipe is so simple, and has a wonderful homemade touch to it – no food processors required. This also gives the final product a sort of rustic texture, with some slightly larger pieces of pignoli nuts and garlic interspersed in the aromatic paste. I think even a Chinese grandmother would approve of this.

Basil Pesto, in the style of a true Italian Grandmother

from Heidi Swanson, www.101cookbooks.com

• 1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, washed and dried
• 3 medium cloves of garlic
• one small handful of raw pine nuts
• roughly ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, loosely packed
• A few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil

• Special equipment (optional): large mezzaluna for chopping (I used a chef’s knife, which worked just fine)

Start chopping the garlic with about one third of the basil leaves. Once this is loosely chopped, add more basil and chop some more, then add the rest of the basil and continue chopping until the basil and garlic are a very fine mince.

Add about half the pine nuts and chop. Repeat with the rest of the pine nuts.

Add half of the Parmesan and chop. Repeat with the rest of the Parmesan.

Finely chop the ingredients until they hold together when pressed into a basil “cake”. Transfer this pesto “cake” to a small bowl (not much bigger than the cake). Cover with a few tablespoons of olive oil, enough to cover the entire surface of the “cake”.

The pesto is best if used immediately, but it can also be stored in the refrigerator. Just before serving, give the pesto a quick stir to incorporate some of the oil into the basil. If using on pasta, you might want to dilute the pesto with a bit of pasta water to help it cover all the pasta.

Makes about 1 cup.

My parents came over and we had a potluck of sorts: I made a couple salads (using CSA veggies, of course – photos and recipes to come in the next couple posts) and Mom made her friend’s stepmom’s recipe for crab cakes. (They’re shown here on a bed of arugula, also from our CSA share.)

The crab cakes fell apart a little when they were frying in the pan, but tasted delicious anyway. And even though I don’t have the recipe for them, they were too beautiful to make their way into a post.

Thanks for always feeding us well, Mom!

Following my mom’s footsteps, I made these soft and fluffy zucchini pancakes from Ina Garten’s tried-and-true cookbook, The Barefoot Contessa at Home. They have a little zing from the grated red onion in the batter. Despite the pancakes’ clean flavor, I was disappointed that they didn’t turn out crispier around the edges. It was worth a go, but next time I’ll be doing something different with my zukes.

Zucchini Pancakes

from The Barefoot Contessa at Home, by Ina Garten

• 2 zucchini, medium, about ¾ lb.
• 2 Tbsp red onion, grated
• 2 eggs, extra-large, lightly beaten
• 6-8 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• butter, unsalted
• vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Grate the zucchini into a bowl using the large grating side of a box grater.  Immediately stir in the onion and eggs.  Stir in 6 tablespoons of the flour, the baking powder, salt, and pepper.  (If the batter gets too thin from the liquid in the zucchini, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour.)
Heat a large (10- to 12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat and melt ½ tablespoon butter and ½ tablespoon oil together in the pan.  When the butter is hot but not smoking, lower the heat to medium-low and drop heaping soup spoons of batter into the pan.  Cook the pancakes about 2 minutes on each side, until browned.  Place the pancakes on a sheet pan and keep warm in the oven.  Wipe out the pan with a dry paper towel, add more butter and oil to the pan, and continue to fry the pancakes until all the batter is used.  The pancakes can stay warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes.  Serve hot.