Experimenting with Pesto!

Mom and I have become real foodies lately, and are determined to make as much food as we can from scratch.

Today, we made pesto by hand, with a basic recipe from Contardo, a family friend who was born, raised, and still lives in Milano.

All you need to make a good pesto is a mortar and pestle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortar_and_pestle), 1 medium-large clove of garlic, a big handful of fresh basil leaves (the more you have the more pesto you will ultimately have), a small handful of pine nuts, salt and pepper and some olive oil.

Steps to make pesto:
1) Wash the basil leaves and take the skin off of the garlic clove.
2) Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil into the mortar (the bowl).
3) Add the basil, garlic, and pine nuts to the mortar
4) Begin crushing the leaves into a paste. You can add more oil as needed if there is not enough liquid in the mortar.
5) The paste should take about 15 minutes...after it is satisfactory, taste it and add some salt and pepper as needed.

If you really want to you can use a food processer to mix this faster but I liked making it by hand.

Easy and SO delicious :) After the pesto, just boil some pasta or spaghetti and you're ready to go!

Cooking experimentation....day 1

I've decided that since I am home in Mississauga and I have this excellent and well stocked kitchen available to me, I might as well experiment with food. My family loves it when I cook because I make the most random stuff and somehow, it always turns out well. I am also terrible at following recipes, but anyways.

Today, I made chili tofu with beans and bok choy. I got the recipe from hookedonheat.com. This recipe was not at all spicy, so I added stuff to make it my own. My edits to the recipe are in bold.

Chili Tofu with Beans and Bok Choy

hookedonheat.com

-1 block firm tofu, cubed (make sure the cubes are small)

-2 large bunches bok choy, chopped, green and white seperated (this is WAY too much bok choy and it will take over tastewise, we used half the bok choy and that was still too much)

-1 medium sized onion, finely sliced (my family likes onions and this was a little too much)

-1 small tomato, finely chopped

-1 tablespoon tomato paste (we used two tablespoons)

-1/2 tablespoon tamarind paste (we used 2 tablespoons of tamarind chutney)

-2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

-1/2 teaspoon red chili powder (2 teaspoons, but my family likes spicy food)

-1 teaspoon coriander powder

-1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

-2 tablespoon light cooking oil

-salt, to taste

-chili flakes (to taste)

-ketchup so the tofu isn't too dry

Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a deep, non-stick wok. Fry the cubed tofu until they are slightly golden all over. Set aside once the tofu is golden.

Add the remaining oil into the pan, and saute the garlic and onion until the tofu is soft and lightly browned. Add in the spices (red chili, coriander, turmeric power). Add the chili flakes here, as well as the ketchup. Fry for a few seconds.

Throw in the chopped tomato, season with salt, and fry for a few minutes. Add the tomato paste and tamarind extract (tamarind chutney), continue to fry. Make sure the tomatoes break up until they start to dry out and give oil from their sides.

Add in the beans and tofu and stirfry the beans until they are cooked and crisp! Add in the bok choy, and stirfry until it starts to wilt (this will be obvious). Serve warm and enjoy!

This tofu wasn't bad-but I know that if I make it a few more times it will be great!