Monday, August 3, 2015

The Party is over.




The people came from far and wide.



Several of my ceramic pieces have new homes. 
Why is it so difficult to part with them? 

That was two days ago.  






Today it is raining.  What do you do when it rains all day? 

Why, make Pesto of course. 






This time I chopped it all by hand, including the roasted pine nuts.






Then added a little lemon juice and olive oil.  But no garlic.  Not this time...maybe next time.  There is still lots of basil growing in the garden. 






Wrapped up and into the freezer for winter meals. 
It will bring Summer right back into the kitchen.







   You ask if there is a recipe?  Not really.  Only a few ingredients required.  Fresh Basil leaves, fresh lemon juice to taste, sea salt to taste, roasted pine nuts so you can see them and a good olive oil to hold it all together.  

Have a great week dear friends. 

Gina 



22 comments:

  1. I can smell it from Ogden! Thank you for the inspiration. Leslie Trottier (Claudette's student from WSU)

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    1. Welcome Leslie, thank you for your visit. Claudette is a very special young woman. We are very fond of her.

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  2. My friend Sandy made a pesto pizza a while back, and I recommend it highly. It's been raining in Florida for the better part of a month and I am starting to get cabin fever!!

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    1. Dear Mark, your friend Sandy has a very excellent idea. I will give it a try. don't know why I hadn't thought of it...it makes perfect sense. Thank her for me.

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  3. I adore a really good pesto and yours looks so fresh and I can imagine the fragrance from the basil. My neighbor grows it and I may need to go pluck some. I think that if I could create the beauty that you do, I would miss the pieces as well. If only I could even paint one that would turn out well, I should be so blessed. Have a wonderful week, somehow I know you will~

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    1. Dear Mary, all you have to do is come for a visit and I will have you painting in no time. This is a good time to look for fresh basil. Soon it will go to seed and lose some of its beautiful taste and fragrance. So, hurry and go and "pluck some" from your neighbor.

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  4. I am pleased that you had a good couple of days with people visiting to your studio Gina - whats not to love about pesto - the taste, the smell, whenever I make it I am immediately transported back to Genoa, Italy, the place where I first tasted freshly made pesto 25 years ago.

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    1. Dear Rosemary, You are so right. Making pesto takes you to Italy in an instance. I used to think that making pesto would have to be such a difficult process (I used to think that anything Italian was difficult). What a revelation to finally grow it and prepare it only to find out that a 5 year old could do it. The best part always is when winter comes around and I can go to my pesto stash.

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  5. wonderfull ceramics,
    Greeting from Mons Belgium
    Blog ma ville my city Mons Be http://louisette.eklablog.com

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    1. Thank you Retriever for your visit and your very nice compliment. You live in a beautiful country. Have a great week.

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  6. So nice you sold your beautiful ceramic and what about pesto, I love pesto. Make it in about the same way as you do. Have basil plants growing in my greenhouse and also made pesto for the freezer, did it in very small plastic boxes, but it is a better idea to wrap it up in portions like you do.

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    1. Hello Janneke, I'm so glad that you also make pesto. The above recipe could be augmented with parmesan cheese and fresh garlic. That is probably how you make it. My individual portions go into a sturdy zippered plastic bag. It is so easy to take the individual packets out and defrost them.

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  7. Dear Gina,
    this is such a great post and what pretty bowls you created. I do not think that I could give hand painted treasures away, if I had painted them. It was hard enough to give one of your bowls away as a gift....................We love pesto and I have a couple of Basil plants in the garden, When I am out of pine nuts I do use almonds instead and we add a little Parmigiano Reggiano to the mix. My men always want pesto with garlic.
    Happy greetings, Sieglinde

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    1. Dear Sieglinde, I never have enough bowls in my house. It's a good thing that a few rejects come out of my kiln once in the while...those I get to keep. Painting simple bowls, like those I have pictured, is so easy. They don't have to be masterpieces, just so they are colorful. Maybe, one day, you will come for a visit and we will paint.
      The almonds in the pesto are a good idea. Right now, Costco has an ample supply of pine nuts. I'm glad that we don't have to go out and into the woods to harvest them. I know people who have...they have to throw their clothes away after they are finished.

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  8. Gina, even though it might be a little sad to say goodbye, it's still rather fabulous that folks who visited your studio will now have some of your beautiful ceramics to enjoy in their own homes. Obviously, these folks have very good taste!

    And on the topic of enjoyment and taste, I love the pictures of your garden's bounty. You are clever to make those freezer-worthy pesto bundles. The idea of bringing summer flavors back in December is excellent.

    xo

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    1. Dear Frances, I am always so happy when I see customers who have visited before. they tell me about the ceramics they have purchased from prior visits. I have already forgotten what the pieces look like. But then, now and then there are special ceramics that I would like to keep but they are also like by my customers. And that is a good thing...my house is full.
      Next time you visit your farmers market why not look for a bundle of basil. No fancy kitchen gadgets required when you chop everything by hand.

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    2. Gina, I plan to visit the wonderful Union Square farmers market tomorrow, and promise to bring home a bunch of basil. Yes, this is the month when it will be abundant. I've made pesto before in small batches via a motar and pestle, but I think that using chopping for a different scale sounds a wonderful idea. My fridge's freezer had best prepare itself for some space to store summer for next winter.

      One of my brothers is a blue grass fan, and an accomplished guitarist (and a good cook.) I've passed your site on to him, thinking he would also enjoy all that you share with us. xo

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    3. Dear Frances, Perfect! You will be so pleased when you make your pesto by hand. The aroma alone will reward you for the extra effort.
      How lucky you are to have such a talented brother. Thank you for sending my site on to him.

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  9. Gina ~ I lost desire to cook a few years ago and don't know why! Today I am "cooking" a recipe from my daughter with chicken drumsticks in the crockpot so that is easy enough for me. Your photos are absolutely mesmerizing. I don't think I have seen any that compare to yours, it may be we have the same aesthetic and I don't see that very often. Loving the beautiful photos and maybe it will help reignite my cooking prowess!

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    1. That would be wonderful Janet if I could entice you to cook a little now and then. You are so kind to let me know that you like my photos. This time of year our gardens are overflowing with flowers and produce. Every now and then we have a picnic...no cooking required. It's the time of year when eating outside is more fun then slaving over a cooking stove.

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  10. Awesome pix of the colors of your life dear Gina - your exquisite painted ceramics, your garden produce, your kitchen creations, even your beautiful kitchen itself! Oh the gorgeous pink roses too!

    I love basil so much and always make a ton of pesto for now and for the freezer. As you say, its fragrance and tastiness brings a touch of Summer to so many Winter dishes. I've tried store bought pesto but it never compares to homemade. I buy my pine nuts at Costco too - a huge bag is expensive BUT not compared to the teeny tiny glass container I noted at the regular grocery store this week - $11.99, whoa!!!!! Sometimes I use walnuts in pesto, still makes a good one - and I add Parmigiano-Reggiano and garlic - hey one can't go wrong with pesto, all versions are delicious aren't they Gina?

    Hope the rain comes our way soon - we feel like we're in the dust bowl lately!
    Hugs - happy cooking days - I'm still making fig preserves, the harvest is bountiful this year!

    Mary X

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  11. Dear Mary,
    Oh how I wish I could hide under one of your fig trees and eat figs until I couldn't eat even one more. There is a place in Italy, in the vineyard of Villa Spoiano, near Tavarnella Val di Pesa, where a fig tree is hidden amongst the vines. It is the perfect spot for a picnic and desert is there for the reaching. Whenever I see pictures of your figs I'm immediately transported to that special place.
    We have been so lucky this year. Especially since we live in the high desert. We have had rain intermittently and at just the right time. Wish I could send some your way.
    Thank you for stopping by and leaving such a lovely comment. oxGina

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