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Pungent Pesto!

5/30/2017

1 Comment

 
PictureCilantro Pesto
Having a jar of pesto in the fridge allows for an easy and spontaneous pasta dish. Just add a little extra oil or even a splash of water to make it saucy. This pungent sauce is also great on broiled chicken breast, slathered on pita and meatloaf sandwiches, or even mixed into a quinoa salad or mashed potatoes.

Think all pesto is made from basil? Think again. The beauty of pesto is its versatility. The greens, the nuts, the cheese,  the oil ... all can vary according to your taste, budget, and fresh ingredients on hand. Here are lists of possible ingredients you can use, followed by a recipe as an example of how to use the ingredients proportionally, but that can vary too.

Spinach is an ingredient I often use. For my latest batch, I substituted cilantro for the basil. Talk about pungent! Have fun and let me know what combinations you've developed.

Greens
arugula
basil
​cilantro
​fennel
mint
Italian parsley
​spinach
Nuts (toasted or not)
pine nuts
walnuts
almonds
Cheese
grated Parmesan
grated Romano
feta (a little bit)
Oil
extra virgin olive oil
walnut oil
almond oil
Other ingredients: salt (I use sea salt), garlic cloves, (optional) freshly ground black pepper
Ingredients
1 cup basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup spinach leaves, packed
1/2 cup Italian parsley leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1-2 cloves garlic
dash of sea salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil (or more)
2 tablespoons water (optional)
Instructions
1. In blender or food processor, combine basil, spinach, parsley, cheese, nuts, garlic, and salt. Cover and blend with several on-off pulses, scraping the sides from time to time, until a paste forms. 
​2. Gradually mix in the oil (and water) and blend or process until reaching consistency of soft butter. Add the salt and optional pepper to taste. 
Makes about 3/4 cup. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days, or put in ice cube trays and freeze.

Good cooking to you,
​Linda
​​​​​Note: Would you like a printout of this and other recipes? These directions may help:
Use your mouse to select only the text you want to copy rather than the entire page. Then press Ctrl+C, open your Word program and press Ctrl+V to paste the semi-formatted text. Print it from there.
1 Comment
    Picture

    Author

    Linda M. Kurth is the creative mind behind such stories as the romance, Home of the Heart, and her  memoir, God, the Devil and Divorce, as well as the recipes and crafts you'll find in these pages. Here's how this blog began:
    ​
    "This chicken salad is fabulous" my writer friends told me at our little luncheon. "We want the recipe."

    "I've been thinking of starting a recipe blog," I said. "This will be the first dish on it. Will that work for you?"

    "Do it!" they urged. 

    I've thought about creating a cookbook for years, but with all of my other activities, I realize that's not going to happen in the traditional sense. So I'm happy to have this venue to share my favorite dishes and discoveries. I hope you'll find some dishes here that become some of your favorites too.

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  • Home
    • About Linda
    • Contact
    • Media Kit
  • Divorce Healing Blog
  • Linda's Books
    • God, the Devil, and Divorce >
      • Memoir Writing
    • Home of the Heart >
      • Writing Home of the Heart
      • Home of the Heart Design Blog
    • Quick Reads
  • Recipes & Crafts
    • Recipe Blog
    • Tin Can Footstools >
      • Tin Can Footstools p.2
      • Tin Can Footstools p.3
    • Recipe Index
    • Denim Pennant Banner >
      • Denim Pennant Banner p2