The ravioli are simply Buitoni. Just throw in salted boiling water and drain. The magic, however, is in the pesto. The recipe is quite simple yet very undefined. I basically pull out the basic ingredients and add varying amounts of each until I get it about right. I don't think I have ever made two batches that were the same yet all my batches are met with applause.
Ingredients:
Basel (fresh cut from the garden if you have em)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The darker the better.
Garlic (Hardneck if you can find it)
Pine buts
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (Please use the original)
Salt
Just throw it all in a food processor and blend it until it looks like pesto. When you are done, scoop it out, add a few more pine nuts and stir them in.
Any left over can be frozen. I typically maintain a dozen basel plants which keeps me happy with fresh pesto from June through September. Then, before the first frost, I cut down the entire plants and spend a day making pesto. This year I made 10 cups which should hold me up until next June.
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Place: 51 out of 58 Avg (all users): 4.5355 Avg (commenters): 5.5833 Avg (participants): 4.2667 Avg (non-participants): 4.6455 Views since voting: 1196 Votes: 155 Comments: 12 Favorites: 0
While I think the composition of this photo is good I find that the choice of dish with the meal does not fit together well. The picture could also be a bit brighter. Looks good though.
I just made a fresh batch of pesto last night. This looks so good I'm off to make something very much like it! (Mmmmmmmmmmmm!)
Technically though, if there were some highlights on the pasta, slightly more dramatic lighting, it'd probably score higher. I'd have brushed on a little olive oil and added a directional light source. gotta go get pesto....
Nice idea. Good composition, but I think you might want to sharpen the picture in photoshop a little. It's a little out of focus. I like the color print on the dish. 5.
This is one I'm looking forward to how it was made! As for the shot, I'm thinking it was outside on a cloudy day, more light would have really helped this piccture pop. The plate, while beautiful is very distracting with the design, a plain white wone might have worked better. The cropping is perfect. The fork right on the edge and plate just sky of the edges, very well done. Starting this one at a 6
Nice simple presentation, draws the eyes directly to the meal. The food looks good! I do think the plate, though it adds a splash of color, is a bit busy and competes with the food in this instance. Also, the ravioli seems a touch out of focus, while the fork - simply a prop - has more clarity. I like the low lighting, but would've preferred a bit more intense light directly on the food, just to give it that extra attention & oomph. As I said, I do like the low lighting, with it and the mesh-like table background, it gives the feel of an early evening dinner on the patio. 6
Needs much stronger light inside. Maybe a straight down spot. Also is slightly out of focus at the raviolis. Focus cught the plate too much. Gets an 8 though
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