I love pesto. I love pesto so much that I would eat it in any combination, red, green, white, black. Okay, I don’t know about black, but if you served it to me and told me it was black tahini base, I’d probably say yes.
All summer long we grow two beds full of basil. Roughly 16 plants worth. It’s a lot. I make and use a lot throughout the summer, but there’s inevitably a lot to use up at the end-of-season harvest. But the problem here is that, at this point my basil is slightly more bitter, and we’re kind of sick of the green kind — gasp! So, we freeze it.
I’m not ready to say goodbye just yet. I love the ease of pesto as a sauce for pasta, or bread, or eggs. The possibilities are endless and it’s an easy staple to know and use. I love that you can make a pesto out of whatever’s in your fridge, be it arugula, walnuts, miso. You name it, you could make it!
So today I’m offering up three ways to make pesto that are sure to get your taste buds tingling. Of course, I’ve included my “famous” basil pesto, and I wanted to give you a bitter greens option – arugula and pumpkins seeds — but I’m getting a little crazy here and throwing in a wrench. A very delicious one. A very delicious sundried tomato one. Trust me, give it a try.
Classic Pesto Genovese
Classic Pesto Genovese
Ingredients
- 4 cups basil, loosely packed
- 1 clove garlic, smashed and peeled
- 0.25 cups pine nuts, plus 2 tablespoons, toasted
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated
- 0.25 cups pecorino cheese, grated
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.75 cups olive oil, approximately
Instructions
- In a food processor, mix basil, garlic, ½ cup pine nuts, parmesan, pecorino, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Once a thick paste is formed and the mixture starts to ball up, slowly drizzle olive oil into the spout opening of the food processor’s top until the pesto reaches a smooth glossy texture. This may be less than the ¾ cup of oil listed above.
- Taste and add more salt if needed and add remaining 2 tablespoons pine nuts. Pulse a few times to mix and chop the pine nuts slightly, careful not to over-mix as these are meant to add texture.
- Tip: If you’re making this for pasta, reserve ½ cup pasta water to add the pesto before you add the pasta.
Nutrition
Arugula & Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Arugula & Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 cups local arugula, loosely packed
- 1 cups pumpkin seeds, roasted
- 3 cloves garlic, roasted
- 0.5 tsp salt
- oil to thin
Instructions
- In a food processor, mix arugula, pumpkin seeds, roasted garlic, and salt. Once a thick paste is formed and the mixture starts to ball up, slowly drizzle olive oil into the spout opening of the food processor’s top until the pesto reaches a smooth glossy texture. Taste and add salt if needed.
Nutrition
Sundried Tomato Pesto
Sundried Tomato Pesto
Ingredients
- 8 oz sundried tomatoes, with the oil reserved
- 0.5 cups pistachios
- 3 cloves garlic, roasted
- 0.5 tsp roasted red pepper flakes
- 0.5 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a food processor, mix sundried tomatoes, pistachios, roasted garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt. Once a thick paste is formed and the mixture starts to ball up, slowly drizzle the olive oil from the jar into the spout opening of the food processor’s top until the pesto reaches a smooth glossy texture. If the mixture needs more oil, add fresh olive oil a tiny bit at a time. Taste and add salt if needed.
Nutrition
