Condiment

Everybody loves a quick and tasty pasta dressing, and there is nothing better than a pesto. All you need is a blender. Combine all the ingredients, and—voilà—you have a sauce. Everybody by now is familiar with pesto made with basil and pinoli nuts, but during one of my visits to Sicily, I enjoyed a pleasant pesto surprise: the pinoli were replaced with pistachios. Although Sicily is known for its delicious pistachios, 98 percent of the pistachios eaten in the United States come from California. So do try this pesto rendition.

This is excellent on char-grilled chicken or pork. Swab or brush the sauce on the meat for the last 15 minutes of grilling time. Turn often, continuing to baste, to prevent burning.

This is a tasty sauce that goes great with broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, and fish.

For good charcoal grilling, brush sauce over the meat during the last 10 or 15 minutes of grilling time. Turn often to prevent burning.