If we all had more time each day to call our own, how would we use it?
Writers, poets, artists, philosophers, and politicians have chewed on both components of this question for centuries. They’ve talked about “elevating everydayness” with the DIY creations of “democratic artists and artisans.”[1] They’ve argued for replacing our passive consumption of paid professionals (music, theatre, art, food, etc.) with an age of “ordinary excellence” for all, allowing for collective practice of leisurely pursuits which were previously the “preserve of the few.”[2] And they’ve outlined how, with a heightened focus on how to live, rather than how to make a living, we might begin again to “redeem” our time with active, freely chosen intellectual, social, or cultural occupations aligned with a “higher mode of existence”, activities which from a distance may very well look like vigorous work, but are freely chosen and serve as their own reward, making all the difference.[3]
But that’s not the subject of this blog post. This blog post is about Dad Duty and cooking, which in and of itself might be one of the most rewarding uses of free time on earth, one of the best examples of an elevated everydayness, democratic artisanship, ordinary excellence, and the redemption of lost time.
So, if we all had more time each day to call our own, how might we use it?
Consider starting with homemade pesto.
ChapDaddy’s Homemade Pesto
Yield: 1 Cup Fresh Pesto
Prep: 15 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts (or walnuts are fine too)
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan from block
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts and grated Parmesan in the main bowl of a standard food processor.
- With the motor running on low, add olive oil in a steady, slow stream until “emulsified”.
- For those like us that have to look up this word, let us save you the time: this means to mix it so thoroughly that it becomes an emulsion, or a mixture of two liquids that can’t normally be blended together, such as oil and vinegar in a salad dressing.
- Pause, scrape edges for large chunks of basil, taste and add additional salt/pepper as needed, resume blending.
- Using a spatula, scrape out basil and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in a freezer for up to six months.
***
For those who prefer a visual play-by-play, see below:
Combine fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts and grated Parmesan in the main bowl of a standard food processor.
With the motor running on low, add olive oil in a steady, slow stream until “emulsified”.
Pause, scrape edges for large chunks of basil, taste and add additional salt/pepper as needed, resume blending.
Using a spatula, scrape out basil and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, or in a freezer for up to six months.
