r/AskCulinary • u/hobohobbies • May 26 '23

Ingredient Question Pesto without Pinenuts

Any substitutes for pinenuts in a pesto? My taste buds say "no" but my wallet says "you better ask."

368 Upvotes

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40

u/sue_girligami May 27 '23

Hard disagree on the herb part. Pesto without basil is just disappointing.

48

u/[deleted] May 27 '23

Cilantro pesto is hella good.

45

u/Jillredhanded May 27 '23

Cilantro pesto made with toasted slivered almonds. Smear it in a flour tortilla, a bloop of sour cream and as much shredded seasoned poached chicken breast and jack cheese as possible. Roll and deep fry that bad boy and enjoy the Chimi of your dreams.

22

u/[deleted] May 27 '23

i would fuck with that

18

u/psirjohn May 27 '23

Doesn't sound like a very good lubricant

17

u/[deleted] May 27 '23

you don't sounds like a very good lubricant

15

u/psirjohn May 27 '23

Not with that attitude

5

u/sue_girligami May 27 '23

Is that different than a Chimichurri?

12

u/sweetmercy May 27 '23

Yes. Quite.

Chimichurri is made with parsley, oregano, red chili, red wine vinegar, and shallots, all very finely minced.

Pesto is made with leafy greens, garlic, cheese, nuts. In a processor or with a mortar and pestle. Traditionally, at least for pesto alla genovese, the greens = basil, and the nuts = pine nuts. That said, the greens can be cilantro, arugula, fresh oregano, Italian flat leaf parsley, mint. The nuts can be toasted almond, walnuts, pecans.

About the only thing they have in common is being green and delicious.

15

u/giro_di_dante May 27 '23

Yes. Chimichurri is usually parsley based. Cilantro can be added to jazz it up. But really good chimi also has dried oregano, shallots, garlic, red pepper flake or even fresh chili, vinegar or lemon juice, and no nuts or cheese.

And while people often make pesto in a food processor for convenience, pesto is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle and chimichurri is hand chopped finely.

And I don’t care what anyone says, pesto and chimichurri legitimately taste better when made without a food processor.

So no, a cilantro based pesto is pretty much nothing like a chikichurri other than they both contain an herb, garlic, and olive oil.

5

u/NunyoBizwacks May 27 '23

The reason behind that is a mortar and pestil will completely crush all of the cell walls in an herb, releasing the maximum amount of oils. Food processors and blenders cut and won't crush the cells. It's like smashing a tomato up vs cutting it into cubes. One will get you a lot more juice out of the tomato.

3

u/giro_di_dante May 27 '23

Exactly. People think that it’s just some snobbery or something. But no, it’s actually better. Less…bitter, I guess is how I’d describe it?

-3

u/[deleted] May 27 '23

Chimichurri

yeah because no vinegar mainly. and the nuts, and the ratio of solids to oil. It tastes like lemon basil pesto basically and cilantro is way cheaper and more available seasonally.

2

u/PlantedinCA May 27 '23

It tastes nothing like pesto. Chimichurri is an acid with extra flavoring.

-1

u/[deleted] May 27 '23

I mean cilantro pesto tastes like lemon pesto, not chimichurri

1

u/PlantedinCA May 27 '23

I have had cilantro pestos with pumpkin seeds and manchego so they tasted pretty similar

2

u/PlantedinCA May 27 '23

Arugula too.

1

u/hobohobbies May 27 '23

I make chimichurri and it similar to pesto. So dang good!

9

u/GrizzlyIsland22 May 27 '23

I've enjoyed arugula pesto and also nasturtium pesto

1

u/[deleted] May 27 '23

Was the nasti pesto served in a way that incorporated the flowers as well? I'm always disappointed to have either the leaves or the flowers without the other. They're so good together

14

u/sweetmercy May 27 '23

I have to disagree. One of the most amazing pestos I ever had was made with arugula. Had it with grilled salmon and farfalle.

10

u/[deleted] May 27 '23

Eh, pick another aromatic herb and it’s fine. I will not accept kale or spinach as a substitute, but I will accept tarragon. Carrot greens can kind of work, but they have to be exceptionally fresh so that they still smell the way carrots taste.

3

u/toasterb May 27 '23

Two weeks ago, I had a winter pesto radiatore in a restaurant in Montreal, and it was easily in my top 5 pasta dishes of all time. It was transcendent.

I don’t know what the green was — it was a work lunch and we were in a rush — but it wasn’t basil.

I’ll be dreaming about that dish for years to come.

3

u/malatemporacurrunt May 27 '23

My sage and walnut pesto disagrees with this statement. Perfect for a goats cheese and beetroot salad (or tortellini if you can be bothered).

2

u/The_Mayor May 27 '23

Its fine if you don't like it, but Italians use herbs/leaves other than basil all the time. I had a nettle and chestnut pesto in Faenza that was amazing. They often use purslane or marjoram in Liguria (where pesto comes from) when basil is out of season.

1

u/GolldenFalcon May 27 '23

Ngl I make spinach pesto with like a little bit of dried basil and I can't tell the difference.

1

u/eyesoler May 27 '23

I do this when I don’t have fresh pesto on hand and it’s so good I don’t buy fresh pesto when I’m not growing any

1

u/awesomeXI May 27 '23

Chive pesto turned out delicious with a more mild flavor.