We eat a lot of pasta—at least twice a week—and pesto has been a favorite for years. Calvin usually made it walnuts, I favor pine nuts and I buy them (key point), so Daisy, the biggest child proponent of pesto, is making pesto tonight. Calvin, Wyatt and I have to scout a location to shoot bits for my City Council run (I am not running but I am helping someone else run, so thus it is my run as well).

Daisy will stay home and cook, and when we all get back, Calvin will make a Caprese salad and we will watch Space Force. This is how we are getting through the tedium of the pandemic—we eat dinner in front of the television.

Pesto

Adapted from Basic Pesto by Florence Fabricant for The New York Times

Ms. Florence Fabricant advises making pesto in order, and then dribbling the olive oil into the food processor. I puzzled over that step mostly because the dribble spot is also the spot where the machine fits into the blades. Just put all the ingredients into the mixer, and grind it up until it looks green and slightly creamy. Don’t forget the salt. Florence Fabricant does not include salt and we missed it. (Why, Florence, why do you shun salt in pesto?)

Things that can go wrong: 

Dirty basil that is not properly cleaned—grit in food is a bummer. If you have purchased basil that has actual dirt on it, congratulations that you found such fresh basil, but definitely take extra care in cleaning it. Soak the basil in a bowl of cold water and swish it around and rinse it a few times. I would advise you to do this yourself the first time your kid tries pesto.

Set the kid up for success on this first time, and the next time talk them through the basil washing. It’s better to make a nice pesto the first time out. 

The food processor is broken: Just don’t make pesto this time. Making it by hand like a real grandmother from Italy has never worked for my family. Also, stick mixers were a disaster for us, with basil and oil flying around the kitchen. 

Forgetting the salt: Pesto tastes better with salt. 

Adding too much olive oil: The pesto will be a little oily but will still taste pretty good.  

Using the wrong pot to make the pasta: Daisy tends to choose the closest possible saucepan for the pasta water even if it is a tiny little pot. Encourage your children to use the appropriately-sized pot for what you are cooking, so a medium or large pot is better for pasta. 

Using the small burner on the stove: This was another early Daisy specialty. Use the bigger, good burners. 

Here is what you, the parent, should be looking out for. 

Is the chef: 

• Measuring the pesto ingredients carefully (not the basil so much but the cheese and the olive oil)?
• Tasting the pesto as they go along?
• Turning things off and closing cabinet doors and refrigerator doors as they move through the cooking?
• Waiting for the pasta water to boil, rather than making the salad or setting the table?
  
  NOTE: Organizing what has to happen during meal preperation is not instinctive for every person. It helps to talk through the recipe with your child. They can do other things as they wait for a pot of water to boil or an oven to heat. Staring at their phone is not an option of something to do while waiting.