No Pasta? No Problem. Pesto Shakes it Up on Its Own

One of the usual accomplices to a criminally good plate of pasta is pesto, that gloriously green and spicy sauce made from pine nuts and basil. But what if you're tired of the same old scene after copious trips to the farmer's market for the basil, or perhaps your culinary adventures skew toward the more adventurous and you'd like to branch out from the angel hair, or, just maybe, you're still stuck in the late '90s and are a carb avoider (not that there's anything wrong with that ...).

The New York Times presents five new ways of looking at pesto, sans the pasta (well, six, if you count the chimmichurri sauce recipe from a reader who wrote it in the comments. I count it, because that stuff is good!). Flank steak never had it so nice.

1 1/2 cups packed fresh flat-leaf parsley 4-6 cloves garlic 3 Tbsp fresh oregano leaves 3 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar 3/4 cup olive oil 1 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Don't have any basil? Use arugula or cilantro instead. As we try to let the last bit of late summer linger, the bright and vibrant kick of pesto could stave off your backyard barbecue withdrawal symptoms. And when you really need the pasta, as winter begins to beckon, you'll welcome a hearty red meat sauce and your pesto dreams can have a nap until the first crocus blooms next spring.

Read there full piece here.

Photo courtesy Patrizia Schiozzi@sxc.hu