Pesto, Part Two

Earlier this summer, when my sister Claire and her boyfriend Geoff were visiting me in Portland, cilantro almost made an enemy of me.  It would have been a tragedy, because cilantro is my all-time favorite herb, and I would have been sad to see my frizzy green friend go.  As we all piled into the car one evening to drive Claire and Geoff back to their hotel, I made a quick stop in the veggie patch to test out a theory.  I had heard that, to address the problem of quick-bolting herbs like basil and cilantro, don't give yourself a hernia trying to prevent it in the plants you've got; just give the plant a shake after its gone to seed in the hopes that new, little plants will sprout up around it.  This I thoroughly did with my blossoming cilantro plant, and then got in the car with my family.  Soon enough the car filled with a blooming, overpowering aroma.  It was so strong it was on a par with skunk, freshly sprayed on your dog's nose.  I made the mistake of sniffing my fingers and almost vomited.

Luckily, several weeks and some distance from the herb renewed my love for the stuff, so when I received my latest email newsletter from 101cookbooks.com containing a recipe for a Cilantro Noodle Bowl, I found I was ready to renew my relationship with the green.  It was apropos, too, of my recent foray into another kind of unconventional pesto (using kale), so I thought I'd give it a whirl.  In the Cuisinart, that is.  The 101cbs recipe looked a little stark, so I also consulted my Curry Book, by Nancie McDermott and found a recipe for a cilantro-ginger pesto.  Ever the brassy and independent cook, however, I glanced at each of these recipes once, and did not use them again.  Here is my own rendition, and you will find it very flexible since no recipe was used.

Cilantro Pesto

-1/2 to 1 bunch cilantro, washed, dried or spun in a pillowcase, with leaves plucked from stems

-A hunk of ginger to taste (I used about a thumb's worth), peeled and quartered

-1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered

-1 large dollop of sesame oil (I'm sure olive would do)

-1 quarter jalapeno (more to taste: the heat resides in the seeds)

-1-3 tablespoons brown sugar

-Juice of half a lime

-Soy Sauce to taste

-Water, as needed

Toss the lot sans water into your food processor and pulse till blended to resemble pesto (though when you lift the lid, you'll smell something entirely different).  If it's dry and not blending, add a couple Tbs. of water and blend again.  Set aside.

Chop half a package of tofu into cubes and saute in a film of olive oil, with generous pinches of chile, curry powder, and salt stirred in.  Leave on medium-high heat, turning the cubes occasionally.

Meanwhile, set a pot of water boiling and add a package of chow mein noodles.  I was hoping for soba noodles, but my country bumpkin Safeway had never heard of such a thing.  When the noodles have about a minute to go, toss in chopped broccoli florets.  Yes, toss the broccoli IN to the boiling pasta!  Isn't that such a cool idea?  I gratefully acknowledge 101cbs for such a timesaving tip.  Let sit for 30 seconds to a minute, depending on how crunchy you like your broc, then drain both noodles and veggies in a colander.

Combine noodles/broccoli, tofu, and cilantro pesto in a large bowl, and toss well to coat.  Season with soy sauce, and maybe even garnish with some lime zest if you're feeling zesty.  Yum!