Penne, peas, and pesto

Eastside Road, June 21, 2015—

IT'S REALLY A springtime dish, I think, but it works just fine on the solstice: pesto. I read something the other day by a food writer who said he'd never seen the point of pine nuts, and substituted pecans for them when making pesto. Turned out he'd never had any but rancid pine nuts. We buy expensive ones, when we can't eat the ones from our own trees — laziness and forgetfulness interferes with that project, which is season-specific and labor-intensive. We buy expensive ones, and keep them tightly covered in a little jar in the freezer, and so far haven't had any trouble with them going rancid. Garlic and salt, smashed together in the marble mortar, with a wooden pestle. Then the pine nuts, all smashed to a smooth paste. Then the basil leaves, pounded in their turn out of all recognition. Last of all grated Parmesan cheese, not too much. I pack this into a narrow-mouthed jar and float enough olive oil on top to cover it. It keeps a few days in the refrigerator. Green salad, of course, and mixed peaches and apricots for dessert.

Cheap Pinot grigio

☛Restaurants visited in 2015 are listed at Eatingday's Restaurants