In other good news, it looks like my Minestrone Soup "rain dance"from last week was a success. If you cook like it's winter, apparently winter will arrive! To follow up on that amazing soup recipe, which contains pesto as a final garnish, I thought I would share a recipe for my recent obsession: fresh, green, beautiful homemade pesto. This is a condiment that I find amazing all year round.
Making pesto is easiest if you have a food processor, although I know a Vitamix or even a regular blender would probably work as well.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2-3 cups fresh basil leaves,
washed and patted dry
1/2 cup parmesan cheese,
shredded
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp. olive oil
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
Toast the pine nuts on a baking sheet for 3 to 4 minutes. Watch closely, as you
just want them to get golden, not brown. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. In the bowl of your food
processor, combine the cooled pine nuts, basil leaves, parmesan cheese, garlic
cloves, and lemon juice. Process for about 10 seconds.
3. With the machine running, slowly
pour the olive oil through the feed tube until the pesto is thoroughly pureed to your taste. All
done! Store in a container with a thin layer of olive oil on top to help prevent
discoloration. Makes about 1 cup.
I used this pesto to make an unconventional but mouth-watering pesto pizza. There was plenty for a pizza, plus a bit more left over for sandwiches. Pizza toppings included were as follows:
Peso
Spinach
Mozzerella cheese
Onion, sliced thin and sauteed with red wine until soft
Butternut squash, sliced thin and pan roasted with olive oil
Pancetta, pan roasted along with the squash
Goat cheese
Red pepper flakes
Yummmm. Can't wait to make pesto again!
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