Pesto

Preparation

1. Step 1

   Whirl together the basil, garlic, salt, and pine nuts in the jar of a blender or the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. With the machine running, if possible, slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube until it is incorporated. Otherwise, add the olive oil with the other ingredients and process until combined. Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese.

2. variation

   Step 2

   It’s a sad irony that my college-age daughter, Frances, has developed an intolerance to dairy products, ingredients I use constantly in my work as a chef. Luckily, she still likes my food, and I’ve learned to modify some of my recipes to keep her healthy, including lasagna. For Franny, I make homemade pesto as above but eliminate the Parmesan cheese. I use whatever veggies I have on hand, sauté them as above, and mix them with a 28-ounce can of drained, diced tomatoes. Needless to say, the ricotta layer doesn’t make the cut for my daughter’s lasagna, and instead of butter, I use an equal amount of olive oil to moisten the breadcrumbs. Franny loved the vegan lasagna hot the first night I made it for her and—ignoring my pleas to let me heat it—she ate it cold straight from the refrigerator the next day.

3. Tips

   Step 3

   When making lasagna, take care to cook the noodles only until just chewy (al dente, in Italian). Slight undercooking keeps the noodles from turning mushy when they are baked later.

4. Step 4

   I prefer homemade breadcrumbs, easily made from the leftover bread I freeze just for this purpose. Toast bread until crisp and lightly browned, then cool to room temperature. Break the toast into pieces with your hands and whirl in a food processor or in a blender. For a more rustic look, simply crumble up the toast with your hands. If that seems like too much work, prepared breadcrumbs from the store work just fine, too.