To My Nonno – Traditional Italian Pesto
Me (in Nonno’s lap) & My Sisters in Maine
Yesterday afternoon, my Nonno (grandfather in Italian) passed away from a heart attack. My parents were in Florida visiting him when it happened, I was here at home. Even though he hasn’t been doing well lately, it still wasn’t expected to happen so suddenly. And as one usually feels in these situations, I wish I had had the chance to see him and say goodbye.
As a mini-tribute to him, here are a few memories and tidbits about him, I will never forget:
- His love of calamari fritti, Scottish shortbread, and Peking Duck. While they definitely don’t go hand in hand, whenever I think of these foods, I always think of him.
- 100% Italian. Born and bred.
- Speaker of 5 languages.
- Visiting his house in Maine (picture above) when I was younger, going tad pole fishing, and eating lobster.
- The artist. He loved carving, making antique frames, and designing houses.
- Bouncing me up and down in his lap when I was younger.
- The man who loved a good deal. He loved the store Marden’s and would buy any quantity of anything if it was on sale! He even bought my dad light-up slippers once and a brown corduroy tie!
- Not always politically correct. But always amusing.
And last but not least, bringing us blocks and blocks of Parmigiano-Reggiano from Italy, as well as Mason Jars full of homemade pesto. So in his honor, and because I know he would have appreciated this meal himself, that is exactly what I made last night.
Comfort food at its very best.
Traditional Italian Pesto
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/4 cup, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)
Instructions
- Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over medium heat until just fragrant.
- Add garlic cloves to food processor and pulse until minced.
- Add rest of the ingredients (except cheese!) and pulse until desired consistency.
Notes
Pine nuts are a great addition to pesto, but are completely optional. If you don’t have any on hand, they won’t be missed. It will just bring out the great taste of basil even more.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 182Total Fat: 18gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 246mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 3g
A Beautiful Plate provides nutritional information, but these figures should be considered estimates, as they are not calculated by a registered dietician.
That looks amazing! I loooove pine nuts 🙂
This is a beautiful post! I’m so sorry for your loss, but it’s amazing how many wonderful memories you have!
Thanks! 🙂
Aw, I’m sorry about your nonno, or granfather. calamari fritti and peking duck? I like this guy already. I’m sure he’s living it up with all the fritti and peking duck he wants in heaven though! 🙂
Thanks Sophia! Hehe, a Chinese restaurant in the DC area (Peking Gourment, you been there?) who serves awesome Peking Duck and he would always request going there if he was visiting us. Thanks again for your kind words.
<3 Laura
Hi girl! Thanks for checking out my blog! I love yours-all your recipes look so good! I wish I was able to cook as good as you can =)
Thanks Lisa! I’m no expert, but that’s very nice of you to say 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
<3 Laura
RIP Nonno 🙁 What a nice tribute, Laura.
I am lovin’ your photos!!
You just tweeted me as I was typing this haha.
Thank you!! 🙂 I totally just did, haha. I really hope you get through to the next round (almost positive you will though), I can’t wait to see what dish you tackle.
Hope you still have power! I always lose mine during storms 🙁
[…] the bread with some olive oil and used some of the basil to make a pesto spread (see my recipe here). A little bit of sea salt on top and arugula salad on the side and we had a hearty, […]