A Parade of Pestos

By Katie Barreira

The classic Italian pesto is a mixture of fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese and olive oil that is crushed together (pesto is Italian for “pounded”) to make a fresh sauce. Since its inception in Genoa, Italy, pesto has taken many forms; these riffs, known as “pestos” are, along with the original, a fabulously easy, no-cook way to add big flavor to your summer cooking.

Here’s a recipe for my new favorite pesto and a few ideas for fun combinations that you can experiment with, whirring-up at home.

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Couscous with Mint Pesto

By Jess Ziman

Pasta with pesto has always been one of my staple comfort foods but it can get a little repetitive when it’s your go-to meal.

To change it up, I like to substitute couscous for the pasta. Couscous is also a wheat grain but the texture and flavor are very different from pasta. While bland on its own, couscous absorbs flavors much better than pasta.

Couscous is also quicker cooking and requires no draining. You simply pour boiling water over the couscous, bring it to a simmer, turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.

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No Regrets!

By Sandy Hu

Some years, summer seems to just pass me by. It’s Memorial Day, we invite a few friends and we grill something. And next it’s Labor Day and summer’s over. I’m left wondering, where did the season go?

Like New Year’s resolutions, this summer, I’m making a list of all I hope to accomplish in food. Since Wednesday was the first day of summer, I don’t think I’m too late with my checklist.

My goals are to take advantage of seasonal fruits and vegetables to make classic summer dishes, and to capture and preserve the taste of summer to savor the rest of the year. I want to do all of this effortlessly, of course, without spending hours in the kitchen.

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Walnut Pesto and Basil Envy

By Sandy Hu

I have low expectations of the herbs growing in my garden. It’s not their fault. We coddle them when they’re first planted; then we get busy and forget all about them and they’re left to their own devices.

So Steve bought a new crop of herbs over the weekend from the Alemany Farmers’ Market. Flat-leaf parsley, French tarragon, French thyme, sage and Moroccan mint – they’re sitting on our wall until he gets them into the garden beds. I hope these are the independent types that can fend for themselves.

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I Heart Carbs

By Katie Barreira

Like the allure of meat on meat (think bacon burger), one carbohydrate can only improve with the addition of another. Strangely enough, it was during a starch-starved year in San Francisco, where no excess of sushi or burritos could curb my hankering for a decent slice of pie and a boiled bagel, that I discovered the ultimate carb combo: potato pizza. The tough-crusted wedge may not have scratched my East Coast itch, but it securely rooted the idea of tubers on toast.

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