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.

Crispy Mozzarella Sticks

Source: Cooking Light, January 1999

4 (3 x 1/2 x 1/2-inch) sticks part-skim mozzarella cheese (about 3 ounces) (I used mozzarella string cheese, cut in half)
2 teaspoons commercial pesto
4 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Olive oil-flavored cooking spray
1/4 cup fat-free tomato-and-basil marinara sauce

Preheat oven to 400°.

Coat cheese with pesto.

Cut phyllo sheets in half crosswise to form 8 (13 x 9-inch) rectangles. Place 1 phyllo sheet on a cutting board or work surface (cover remaining dough to keep from drying); coat with cooking spray. Place 1 sheet on top of first sheet. Fold in half crosswise to form a 9 x 6 1/2-inch rectangle. Place 1 stick of cheese at center of a short end of rectangle; fold long sides of phyllo over cheese, coat with cooking spray. Starting with the short end, roll up phyllo jelly-roll fashion. Coat with cooking spray. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat with remaining phyllo and cheese. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Heat the marinara sauce in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until thoroughly heated. Serve marinara sauce with mozzarella sticks.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 2 cheese sticks and 2 tablespoons marinara sauce)

CALORIES 275(41% from fat); FAT 12.4g (sat 5.1g,mono 4.1g,poly 1.9g); PROTEIN 14.1g; CHOLESTEROL 25mg; CALCIUM 318mg; SODIUM 439mg; FIBER 0.2g; IRON 2.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.1g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 1999

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Vegetable Soup with French Pesto

Source: The Occasional Vegetarian, by Karen Lee

French Pesto:
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup unpeeled carrots
1 cup diced celery
2 medium leeks, white and light green parts, cleaned and chopped
8 cups vegetable stock or water
2 cups diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
1 1/2 cups cooked small white beans, homemade or canned
2 cups green beans, cut into 2-inch-long pieces (about 1/2 pound)
2 cups diced zucchini (2 small)

1. To prepare the pesto, combine the garlic, parsley, olive oil, basil, and cheese in a blender or food processor and puree briefly. Set aside.

2. In a large, heavy-bottom pot, heat the olive oil. Add the carrots, celery, and leeks; sauté over low heat until the vegetables are soft but not brown, 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Add the stock and with the pot uncovered, bring to a simmer over high heat. Lower the heat, add the tomatoes, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the salt, pepper, and saffron and simmer for a few minutes more.

4. Add the white beans and cook for a few minutes, then add the string beans and cook for 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and simmer 3 minutes more.

5. Place the pesto in a soup tureen. Add 1 cup of the simmering soup and mix well. Add the remaining soup and stir. Serve immediately. This soup can be refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat gently before serving.

My notes: I already had homemade pesto in the freezer, so I just used that and added a little parsley since my pesto calls for basil only. I used 4 cans of vegetable stock and 1 can of diced tomatoes, undrained. I skipped the zucchini. I would have liked to have used 2 cans of white beans, but I only had 1 on hand and it definitely wasn't enough for my tastes.

DH and youngest son liked the soup very much. Oldest DS is sick, so he was not interested in any dinner at all - poor guy. I liked the soup quite well, but something was off. Perhaps it was just that I imagined the soup a certain way and it came out differently. In any case, I would certainly make a similar soup again, but perhaps not feel limited to the recipe, feeling free to just throw something of my own together.

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Pesto Salmon

Source: based on Easy Pesto Salmon from Cooking Light

This recipe was developed by a fellow CL bulletin board participant. I often have homemade pesto in the freezer, though it uses a full-fat recipe. If I want to cut the fat a bit, I simply take several tablespoons-1/4 cup of my own pesto and run it through the processor with some fresh spinach. Not only does this lighten and add nutrition, but it also revives the pesto by giving it a nice, bright green color. Add a bit of olive oil or chicken broth as needed. I will include the recipe as written on CL, as well as a link to my own pesto recipe.

"We grow basil on our porch and are always looking for tasty new ways to use it. I created this dish on a whim to try and get my husband to eat salmon. I succeeded: He loved it, and now he even requests it on occasion. The salmon tastes wonderful served with grilled or steamed vegetables."

2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup basil leaves
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 garlic cloves, peeled
Cooking spray
2 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skinned
2/3 cup hot cooked brown rice
(pesto recipe)

Preheat oven to 400°.

Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. Spoon 3 tablespoons pesto into bottom of an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with the salmon fillets, and spread with the remaining pesto.

Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve with rice.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 1 salmon fillet and 1/3 cup rice)

I talked about this recipe HERE.

Salmon with Puff Pastry and Pesto

Source: Food Network - Giada De Laurentiis

4 pieces of purchased puff pastry, each cut to be just larger than a piece of salmon
4 (4 to 6-ounce) pieces salmon
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup purchased pesto
2 tomatoes, sliced (I used roasted red peppers)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

On a foil-lined baking sheet, place the 4 pieces of puff pastry. Also place the 4 pieces of salmon, being careful to make sure they are not touching. Sprinkle each piece of salmon with 1 tablespoon of the sliced almonds. Bake for 10 minutes.

To serve, place each piece of puff pastry on a plate. Top each puff pastry with 1 tablespoon of pesto. Top the pesto with 2 slices of tomatoes each. Top the tomatoes with the salmon and serve.

I talked about this recipe HERE.