I have many great memories of
my time in Rome- a good number involve food, no doubt. When we weren't traveling, weekend nights were spent at our friends' apartment; we talked and laughed into the wee hours of the night with our new-found friends abroad while enjoying a big jug of wine and a great antipasto platter.
In the evening, we would stroll down the cobble stone streets to the GS, Rome's grocery store chain, and pick up an assortment of prosciutto, salami and other cured meats, olives, cheeses and some crusty bread. Though each component was amazing, my favorite part of our antipasto was the pesto- none of that jarred stuff, in Rome it comes fresh! You could walk back to the deli counter and ask them to fill up as big of a container as you would like with beautiful, dark green pesto. It had the perfect mixture of basil, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil with a heavy amount of parmesan to give it a nice bite. Needless to say, I miss it terribly and have been searching ever since for something comparable.
Enter: Stonehorse Market- located behind the Stonehorse Cafe in Utica Square. This was the first time that I had stepped into their market- open Tuesday through Saturday 10am-7pm. Loaded with goodies from meats, cheeses and a fully stocked salad bar to prepared soups, sauces and sandwiches. Visit
this article for more details on this little gem! I hadn't planned on buying anything this visit until something caught my eye. In the freezer I saw tub filled with dark green sauce simply labeled "pesto"- and for only $5. This could be exactly what I have been looking for!
After the pesto thawed, I was ready to dig in. I served it just as we did in Rome- with crusty bread for dipping and some fresh mozzarella. Upon first bite, I was transported back to the Eternal City- just as in Rome, you could taste each of the delicious ingredients down to the parmesan. I had found my pesto!
After the antipasto, the pesto then went onto some pasta for a simple dinner and the next day I spread it onto the crusty bread with mozzarella and tomatoes for a tasty sandwich. But pesto doesn't stop there- you can add it to pizza, soups, gnocchi, meats or fish!
If you love pesto, I recommend stocking up on Stonehorse Market's. I don't know if it's something they carry all the time but I'm sure I will find out! If you're not able to make it to Stonehorse, check out these recipes for making your own and some great ideas for how to use your pesto:
5:18 PM
Lauren
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1 comments:
That first picture is amazing.
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