CHIAPPALO PESTO

Many years ago, I worked for Mr Chiappalo (real name Franco Borca) in Diano Marina, Italy. He owned a restaurant called Fra Diavolo, was an eccentric with an awesome love for food. To boot he was an Italian Sommelier of distinction, has a moustache which, had he not waxed it into curls either side, would have had the wingspan of an eagle. He had many signature dishes, one of which were Gnocchi di Patate con Pesto Piemontese.

Traditional pesto has pine nuts in it. Mr Chiappalo makes it with salted peanuts, adding a kick to the mix. And what with pine nuts costing a small fortune, it makes sense. It may be that I have bastardised his recipe over the years, but this is how I remember it:


Ingredients:
Absolute buckets of fresh basil
Quite a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
One clove Garlic
Lots of Parmesan cheese – and please not that already grated stuff they sell in the supermarkets but freshly grated at home.
A handful of Salted peanuts
Salt and pepper

How to:
Place garlic and olive oil in your magi-mixer and swish them around until they make a paste.
Add the nuts and swish.
Add the basil and do the same. You will see how the leaves disintegrate in front of your eyes – and need to do this in several batches until the colour is lurvely and green and the consistency more creamy solid than wet.
Add parmesan, and (key to any cooking) TASTE IT, to see when you have added enough.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can freeze it too, if you have made lots, without any damage being done, but it keeps for quite a while in the fridge. When you take it out of the fridge to use, let it warm up to room temperature or the Olive Oil in it will have congealed. Stir it before using, the oil tends to rise to the surface and you want the stuff that's in it too!

I eat it with pasta, of course, but also as a marinade for chicken breast on the barbecue, drizzled over a tomato mozzarella salad, or stuffed in chicken breast or a meaty white fish wrapped in Parma Ham… Delicious!