Basil Schmazel - you can make pesto out of anything!

dear shoppers, It happens to me every year about this time when the local greens come roaring in.

At the site of all those the crates brimming at market, I get a tad over-ambitious about how many greens my family can consume in a week.

By Thursday I have two options: make juice or make pesto.

This week, the latter won out.  As if the inability to close my crisper drawers weren't enough there's all that great bread at Bien Cuit crying out for some layering love.

Here's the good news: you can make pesto with just about any market green out there from carrot tops to beet greens to swiss chard.

What makes pesto so delicious is not the basil but the powerful combination of nuts, salty cheese, and uber-fresh greens. And, of course, quality oil.

This article on how to riff on pesto in Bon Appetit  confirms that you don't have to spend a lot of money on pine nuts that inevitably go stale - walnuts, sunflower seeds, pistachios even pumpkin seeds taste great in pesto. They mention one restaurant down South (Southbound) that's known for its collard green pesto made with peanuts (!).

This  recipe  from SimplyRecipes.com doesn't even call for cheese or garlic - but uses lots of cilantro, red onion and serrano chile instead. Just imagine how it would tastes with that bright and fragrant Morgiewicz cilantro...

And, here's another news flash: presto doesn't have to be GREEN!

Check out this recipe for mushroom pesto crostini from Giada De Laurentiis.

She uses a mix of dried porcini and button mushrooms because she probably doesn't have the luxury of a Wiltbank Farms at her fingertips. You can use fresh shiitakes instead, natch. Incidentally - this funky cool-ish summer we've been having has made it possible for Gary to have product every week. LUCKY US. As soon as it gets too hot, Gary and his fantastic fungi disappear, so get them while you still can!

Brooklyn Bean is here tomorrow with their mouth-watering breakfast and lunch burritos - now with a sausage option. The Dough Nation pizza truck will be here NEXT week (the 18th) and so will the knife sharpener.

The MOBILE SHREDDER will be at the Zinsser commuter lot from 10 until 1 p.m. tomorrow get your paper discards together and kill two birds with one stone...

See you at the market!

Pascale