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Wednesday, October 05, 2005

Pesto

Unfortunately I don't have much time to post tonight.....I got a call late this afternoon that they want to show our house tomorrow between 12 noon and 1:00. I'd like to say that my house is neat and tidy and ready to go, but, uh, well, no.

Tonight's plan is to do a quick and easy pasta dish with a whole wheat blend spaghetti and some homemade pesto that I have in the freezer. I make my pesto with very little oil so that I can use it for various things - such as a spread for crackers. By adding some broth, oil or half and half (or a combo of any), I can turn the pesto into a sauce for pasta or pizza. We'll have a salad to go with it.

I freeze basil in small portions to use as needed. The basil does get a little brownish, but you can brighten it up very easily by taking it for a whirl in the food processor with a little fresh spinach. Or, use a lot of fresh spinach if you want to turn it into a lighter, healthier pesto. I use a spinach-enhanced version of pesto on salmon for a recipe that I will post later when I have more time. Until then.....

Here is the recipe that I use. It calls for a very large amount of oil - I probably only add a tablespoon or two - just until it starts to come together. I call it Georgie's Pesto - I got the recipe from a friend of my mom's.

Photo Courtesy of Cooking Light

Georgie's Pesto

2 cups fresh basil leaves
4 large cloves garlic
1 cup nuts (pecans, walnuts or pine nuts) (I've tried all 3 nuts and personally prefer pine nuts)
1 cup olive oil
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until all ingredients are well-combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2 comments:

  1. Wow! A cup of olive oil is certainly too much. Id do the same as you did and cut back by a lot. I usually go with pine nut but Ive also played around with almonds and pumpkin seeds, both of which I liked better than pine nuts. I love the versatility of pesto.

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  2. Yes, I should probably just rewrite the recipe and leave that part out! I have not tried almonds or pumpkin seeds. I might try almonds (pumpkin seeds aren't as easily available) - they are a bit milder-tasting than pecans or walnuts. I think the walnuts and pecans interefered with the other flavors a bit for my tastes. It would be nice to find a nut that's not as expensive as pine nuts. However, I was very happy when Sam's Club started carrying big bags of pine nuts - our grocery store only has those pricey, ridiculously small bottles!

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