I found several recipes in this book that my family will and has enjoyed. The recipes had ingredients that most kitchens have and the directions were very easy to follow. Really nice cookbook

Thank you Storey Publishing, LLC for a copy of The Pesto Cookbook by Olwen Woodier.  I have always enjoyed traditional pesto and liked learning new combinations of ingredients to make new pesto flavors.  The recipes were pretty easy to follow, mostly just throw everything in a food processor and process until smooth, but there were some hard to find ingredients included, like perilla.  The cookbook had great pictures, which always make a cookbook better, but often the picture was located nowhere near the recipe (page numbers were given, but I like to read the recipe and see it at the same time).  
The book has a really cute introduction and then discusses the tradition of pesto and how it varies around the world.  There are four chapters on making pesto and other herb purees, and then seven chapters on different recipes that use the pesto recipes from earlier in the book.  These seven chapters are divided up into the type of dish – salads and soups, meat and poultry, sweet surprises, etc.   Most of the recipes have ingredient substitutions listed which makes the recipes very versatile and easy to adapt to different taste preferences.
Traditional basil, parmesan cheese, pine nut pesto is still my favorite, but I now like to mix it up with options such as spinach-arugula pesto, spicy tomato summer pesto, and goat cheese, yogurt, and lemon pesto.  Some of my favorite recipes from the book are the stir fried veggies on the side, barley risotto with sweet pepper, onion, and chorizo; and white bean and orzo soup with spicy summer pesto.  I also liked the recipe for avocado mayonnaise.
Overall it was a good cookbook that added some variety to my diet, but I did feel many of the recipes were similar (which in a cookbook on one subject would be expected) so it is one that I use today and then not again for a few weeks.  But everything I tried was really tasty!

Beautiful photographs, and enticing recipes! I haven't tried any of the recipes, but the combinations look exciting and I can imagine the pleasure to the palate! A variety of herb combinations that will please varied tastes. From pesto's to mayonnaise, soups to meats with the sauces, a wide variety and imaginative and fresh combinations. Some familiar ingredients, and some new that I can't wait to try.

OK let's start off with some disclosure. I really do not like Storey Publishing book designs. I put this at the top of this review because I now just opened the ARC file and there is the cover which is just awful. Fortunately for people who are getting the finished book, the final cover is different from the one in front of me, but who is it at Storey who can't resist making a Table of Contents with 6 fonts in three colors with commas where they never should go and then writing the book's text in three others? The ARC is a design disaster.

Enough, enough, I know, what about the recipes.

The book is called "Pesto" but it is written about the many varied smashed or pureed seasoning sauces found around the world. For the 116 recipes in this book Ms Olwen collects all sorts of things including basil pestos, pestos made by swapping other herbs for the basil, chimichurri, pistou, aioli, and similar herb based purees. It's a bit too far for me, though, when a pesto made from fresh herbs that must be eaten immediately is equated with a salty curry paste made from fermented shrimp and dried spices that will keep for a year, but at least the word paste is accurate. But I'm sorry, herb butter on biscuits and flavored oils on salad are not pesto. Nor is green mayonnaise. 

And I really would like to know the chemistry behind Ms Olwen's contention that butter keeps basil pesto from turning brown. Fat is fat and oil should have the same air exclusion or anti-oxidant or whatever power, and, golly, the pesto won't taste like butter.

Botanical note: In the sweets section is a note that lemon balm is not in the mint family. Sorry, the genus Mentha and the genus Melissa, along with 234 others, make up the mint family Lamiaceae. 

As with most Storey cookbooks, the recipes seem tasty and well tested. I would rather use the web, though.

I received a review copy of "The Pesto Cookbook: 116 Recipes for Creative Herb Combinations and Dishes Bursting with Flavor" by Olwen Woodier (Storey) through NetGalley.com. The ARC has many awkward sentences that I trust were smoothed out in the final edit.

The book is great! It tells you how to make different Pesto and if you like pesto like me, you will probably love this book. I didn't try out all the recipes yet but I'm working on it.

This book was so interesting and an eye opener on different types of pesto you can make and the uses for it. I love the traditional basil pesto but have been making a variety since reading this.  Might have to get myself the paper copy :)

This is absolutely a great cookbook!
I had no clue that there were this many different pesto recipes (to be honest I still believed that they only had pesto in Italy, oops). 
At first, the sheer amount of recipes made me a little anxious. I only knew 2 ways to cook with pesto and I couldn't imagine that I would have a use for each of these new varieties. Thankfully the second half of the book is filled with recipes and all of those look absolutely delicious! 
This is definitely a NetGalley find that I want on my cook bookshelf!

The Pesto Cookbook by Olwen Woodier is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in mid-May.

Fresh, lush photography with watercolor-dyed paperstock of recipes to create pesto and then include in just about any kind of dish (even desserts).  I was most bowled over by thai basil pesto, peanut cilantro pesto and sesame garlic fried rice, chimichurri, romesco, aioli, herb biscuits, zucchini fritters, spaetzle; barley risotto with sweet pepper, onion, and chorizo; ground turkey with fresh green harissa; salmon brochettes with ginger peanut pesto; lobster tails poached in basil-cilantro oil with garlic; and apricot, pecan, & perilla kolachy.

The Pesto Cookbook has some amazing ideas. 
It's a treat for the eyes and for your palate, and I love how it has not only pesto recipes for everyone (and they also include for which dishes or occasions they're ideal for), but it also has different versions of mayonnaise, and variations of many classics with a modern spin.
It's really good book for anyone intending to go creative in the kitchen, food lovers and enthusiasts.

Colors and flavors indeed! This book was actually a LOT more than I expected! I tried out the Rosemary Pesto and WOW….I just wanted to sample it but then ended up serving it as an appetizer with crackers that day, it was so good! 

Not only were there an amazing variety of pesto sauces, but this book also includes other recipes from salads and soups to fish and meats and even vegetarian dishes that can go with any of the pesto’s early on in the cooking book.

This cookbook gives some really fun and inspired ideas…and I’m gonna say it again…dipping sauces!

I love pesto, but I never knew about all these variations and uses!  I will spend a long time trying these!  The photos are beautiful and the recipes are inventive.

Thank you to  Olwen Woodier, Storey Publishing, and Storey Publishing, LLC for this free honest reviewer copy of "The Pesto Cookbook: 116 Recipes for Creative Herb Combinations and Dishes Bursting with Flavor."

This cookbook does exactly what I love best in single-focus cooking books -- it starts out with a detailed reflection on how the author has used pesto in their life, and then delves into where all the ingredients of pesto originated from and what it's furthest researchable origins for the pesto is itself, too. 

I madly adore the by-region sections about the pesto, the advice on hot grow herbs for pesto (even in the winter!), and even the introduction and focus on getting everyone into using a mortar and pestle on a common happenstance. 

I can't wait for my hard copy of this to join my kitchen books!

In the first part of the book, the author discusses how she uses pesto and where certain pesto ingredients originated, even the Romans used a type of pesto using herbs, cheese and garlic called moretum. The word pesto cemes from the word pestare,which means “to pound or grind in a mortar with a pestle.”
The author even grows herbs during the winter inside using a hydroponic AeroGarden.
‪You will be treated to a regional section of information about where certain pesto ingredients are used, you may even have some of them in your own backyard!‬
‪You will also learn how to use garlic, oil and nuts to intensify the flavor of your pesto!‬
‪You can use either the traditional mortar and pestle or a food procesor to make your pesto.‬
‪There is a whole chapter on basil, which is the most popular type of pesto, there are focuses on recipes that use basil, cheese, nuts, tomatoes and garlic, along with some unique ingredients to challenge your palate. ‬
‪Other recipes use ingredients such as eggplant, beans, scallions, peppers, rosemary, mustard, ginger, peanuts, mint and pine nuts so that you can have a lot of variety on your plate. The Peanut-Cilantro recipe would be delicious over egg rolls or salad, and the Arugula Parsley Chimichurri would be a great marinade for meat, seafood, chicken or veggies!‬
‪There are even recipes for making herb-flavored butter, purees, mayonnaise and vinaigrettes.‬
‪There are recipes for steak and potatoes, chunky chickpea soup, herb biscuits, and sesame garlic fried rice with peanut - cilantro pesto. There are also couscous and risotto recipes, and a lot of pasta recipes to try.‬
‪There is even a section on vegetarian recipes that use mushrooms, tofu, spinach, and sweet potatoes as the main or extra ingredient.‬
‪There is even a desert section with recipes such as blueberry basil cream, a Haroseth paste that uses, dates, apricots, nuts and apples, and a compote with mint chocolate cream.‬
‪There is a recipe for every meal and mood - enjoy!
.

The variety of recipes offered was impressive. I fully recommend it, and can hardly wait until my hard copy arrives. I had to order it as a gift for my mom as she is a huge pesto fan.

I received a digital copy of The Pesto Cookbook by Olwen Woodier. I really enjoyed this book. It was well written with excellent descriptions and beautiful photography. Olwen starts out by explaining the basics of pesto along with different ingredients. The next several chapters are broken down by basil, other herbs then salsa, mayos and vinaigrette’s. The last part of the book includes numerous recipes that utilize pesto. I made the ricotta and garden greens pesto and the goat cheese yogurt and lemon. They both had so much flavor and were delicious! I will definitely be purchasing a hard copy for myself!

Delicious recipes. The veriaty of ingredients to make different pesto is a great way to use up your produce.

This book is not about your granny's pesto recipe. It's chock-full of tasty recipes that tempt the pallate with a variety of ingredients.

I am always looking for ways to jazz up current recipes or try something new. This book already has so many bookmarks for ideas that I plan to do with Various Pestos. The recipes are very straight forward and for the most part simple to execute. I love that the pesto recipes are unique unto themselves and come with suggestions on ways to incorporate them into meals as well as a few sample meals using some of the pesto recipes in the book. 

I never even considered a sweet side to pesto that could be used for desserts, but this book also includes that. 

I am more than eager to put some of these recipes to good use!!

I love pesto and before this cookbook, I never realized there were so many different ways to make pesto. This book has amazing recipes, not only pesto recipes but how to cook them with soups, salads, pasta, meat, seafood, etc. There are also ones for Herbed Oil Purees, Mayonnaises and Vinaigrettes. The Avocado Mayonnaise in a turkey sandwich.....delish! I'd only made pesto with what I thought was the traditional way but the Classic Genovese Pesto adds a little butter that helps keep the color bright! Who knew? The Tomatillo-Sunflower Salsa Verde is fantastic, and the Poblano and Fresh Oregano Puree is one I want to try next. I found the recipes to be fairly easy to make, especially the Flank Steak with Pesto and the Butterflied Pork Tenderloin, just to name a couple. Not only does this book have delicious recipes (there are still many yet to try), the photos are absolutely gorgeous. I received an advance digital ARC of The Pesto Cookbook via NetGalley but I might end up buying the paperback copy for my cookbook collection. If you enjoy cooking, I definitely recommend this cookbook!

So...little known factoid about me...I LOVE all things PESTO. I know, weird, right? I would throw pesto into everything I cook if I thought my family wouldn't mutiny (lol). So when I saw this cookbook up for review on NetGalley, I just had to request it.

This turned out to be a really great little cookbook. It is separated into twelve different chapters (including an introduction)...

~MAKING PESTOS, TRADITIONAL AND BEYOND~
-- A UNIVERSAL TRADITION
-- THE BASIL BASICS
-- EXPANDING THE HERBAL PALATE
-- PUSHING THE PESTO ENVELOPE
-- HERBED OIL PURÉES, MAYONNAISES & VINAIGRETTES

~COOKING WITH PESTOS~
-- SALADS AND SOUPS
-- SIDES AND SNACKS
-- PASTAS AND GRAINS
-- MEAT AND POULTRY
-- SEAFOOD DISHES
-- VEGETARIAN ENTREES
-- SWEET SURPRISES


Each chapter includes little bits of information and history. The recipes are well laid out and easy to follow. The graphics and photos make it a visual pleasure to browse through as well. 

~HERE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE RECIPES YOU WILL FIND WITHIN~
-- CLASSIC GENOVESE PESTO
-- SPICY TOMATO SUMMER PESTO
-- BRAZILIAN TEMPERO PURÉE
-- GINGER-PEANUT PESTO
-- GOAT CHEESE, YOGURT, AND LEMON PESTO
-- FRESH GREEN HARISSA
-- GREEN MAYONNAISE
-- SPRING GREENS WITH SNAP PEAS, ASPARAGUS, AND MANGOS
-- ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
-- SPAETZLE
-- SPICY BEEF BURGERS
-- GROUND LAMB KABOBS
-- TUNA BURGERS WITH AIOLI
-- SAVORY SUPPER WAFFLES
-- COCONUT CITRUS COOKIES

So as you can see this one is jammed packed with good recipes. Not only for pestos, but mains, sides, and even desserts! This one definitely gets two thumbs up from yours truly.