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Pine Nut Alternatives in Pesto


PollyG

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There are two related reasons to eschew pine nuts in pesto. The first is sustainability; as the linked article below in the NY Times indicates, world demand for pesto is creating unsustainable harvest techniques.  The second is pine nut mouth syndrome; a topic we've explored previously here. (http://www.donrockwell.com/index.php/topic/14674-toxic-pine-nuts/?hl=%2Bpine+%2Bnut+%2Bmouth#entry168906)  I believe these are related because one of the suspects in pine nut mouth syndrome is use of specific pine species from China or Russia.

As a past victim of pine nut mouth, I am steering clear of them these days.  I use macademia nuts as my alternative nut.  They typically do not show up on the list of alternatives, but I think they are the best match for the oily/sweet/soft profile of good pine nuts.   What is everyone else using?

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/19/opinion/making-pesto-hold-the-pine-nuts.html?ref=dining

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Pistachios are good and also have the added benefit of being green.  Sometimes I use walnuts.  I use almonds in some pasta dishes but can't recall whether or not I've used them in pesto.

Literally green, or good-for-the-environment green? I read somewhere that almonds take up a lot of water, and California is by far the nation's largest almond producer.

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Walnuts and kale are a particularly good combination.

Interesting. Do you use the kale as a filler for basil or do you do 100% kale?

My wife sometimes adds New Zealand Spinach as a filler for basil, but I've never seen that stuff in a store or at a farmers market......have to grow your own.

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Interesting. Do you use the kale as a filler for basil or do you do 100% kale?

My wife sometimes adds New Zealand Spinach as a filler for basil, but I've never seen that stuff in a store or at a farmers market......have to grow your own.

For the kale and walnut version, I use all kale.  I haven't made that in a while, come to think of it.  A friend brought that combination to a party once or I never would have thought to try it.  I sometimes add spinach to the basil version but no particular variety of spinach.

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For the kale and walnut version, I use all kale.  I haven't made that in a while, come to think of it.  A friend brought that combination to a party once or I never would have thought to try it.  I sometimes add spinach to the basil version but no particular variety of spinach.

This sounds interesting, but does beg the question: at what point do ingredients depart from "pesto" so much that you shouldn't be calling it pesto?   The sundried tomato version comes to mind as well in that category although it is more of a traditional pesto with the addition of a lot of sundried tomato.

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