I love pesto. You love pesto. We all love pesto—so much so that our insatiable hunger for this nutty, herbaceous sauce is reportedly damaging an entire ecosystem, thanks to the inclusion of pine nuts.Robert Chambers, head chef of London's British Italian restaurant Luca, also loves pesto. And you can eat his version without any guilt.
Chambers' recipe still uses all the rest of the ingredients that give pesto its signature light and fresh taste—olive oil, fresh basil, Parmesan, and garlic—but he tosses in spinach and uses pistachios instead of pine nuts.Not so much because of the ecosystem, but because, well, have you ever tasted a pistachio? They're delightful, and they'll make your pesto extra green, and they're a fraction of the cost of pine nuts.The knowledge that you're potentially helping to save the environment? Well, that's just something you can feel smug about when you sit down to eat.RECIPE: Pistachio Pesto