Ok guys. This is one of those recipes where you're going to have to trust your own taste. Make it to your own liking, and the more leafy greens you can find and throw in, the better!
It's best if you can find a variety of greens: kale, chard, parsley, basil, chives, garlic scapes, broccoli leaves, almost anything will work. Just don't throw in lettuce because that would be boring and soggy. If you do use kale or chard, strip the leaves from the tougher stems, and toss the stems (or compost, as I'm now learning!)
Ingredients
Handfuls of your favorite greens, which can include any of the above-mentioned greens
Couple cloves of garlic
Parmesan or Romano, grated
Walnuts
Olive oil
Salt
Directions
Toast the walnuts lightly in a skillet over medium-high heat. Keep an eye on the walnuts and move them around the pan regularly to barely-toast them, and remove from heat when done. Set aside.
Place the peeled garlic cloves in the food processor, add in the toasted walnuts, and pulse to chop. If they're getting stuck, drizzle in a little olive oil to loosen. Add in the greens, a handful at a time. Drizzle in the olive oil, and add a little salt until the greens, walnuts, and garlic are full blended together, and the sauce is loose enough to spoon over veggies, pasta, or some grilled chicken. Use your own judgement here, and add just enough oil and salt till you're satisfied and proud to show off your awesome alternative-pesto making skills to friends and family!
When using the pesto for pasta, keep a cup of pasta water around, and after the pasta drains, place the pasta in a bowl and loosen the noodles a bit with the pasta water, then toss with the pesto and shave some fresh Romano or Parmesan on top. The pasta water is key here to help spread the pesto-loving to all noodles.
Showing posts with label pesto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pesto. Show all posts
Monday, May 6, 2013
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Pasta with Pesto Trapanese (tomatoes and almonds)
Adapted from Gourmet.
Use whichever pasta is your fave, but I think a linguine or spaghetti works best with this. I usually go for a wheat or whole grain pasta, but it's all up to you!
Ingredients
3/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds (alternatively, you can use pre-roasted almonds)
1 large handful fresh basil leaves
2 large garlic cloves
Several sprinkles of sea salt
6 ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
1 pound linguine or spaghetti
Directions
In a large skillet, sauté the almonds in a little olive oil until toasted (if you get the sliced or slivered almonds, not the roasted kind). Let cool, then blend them in a food processor or blender until they are coarsely chopped. Remove from the processor and set them aside.
Put the basil, garlic and a few pinches of sea salt into the food processor and chop. Add the almonds back to the food processor (keeping them separate keeps the almonds from getting too finely chopped) with the tomatoes, cheese and olive oil and process briefly. Season with freshly ground black pepper and adjust the salt to your taste.
Cook your pasta until it is al dente and could use another minute of cooking time. Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water and drain the rest. Immediately toss the hot pasta a bit at a time with the pesto and mix quickly so that it drinks the sauce up a bit. Add more pasta water if needed, and pasta (I usually end up using 3/4 of a box depending on how juicy the sauce is). Serve warm with a heft sprinkling of fresh parmesan or pecorino and freshly ground pepper.
Use whichever pasta is your fave, but I think a linguine or spaghetti works best with this. I usually go for a wheat or whole grain pasta, but it's all up to you!
Ingredients
3/4 cup sliced or slivered almonds (alternatively, you can use pre-roasted almonds)
1 large handful fresh basil leaves
2 large garlic cloves
Several sprinkles of sea salt
6 ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
1 pound linguine or spaghetti
Directions
In a large skillet, sauté the almonds in a little olive oil until toasted (if you get the sliced or slivered almonds, not the roasted kind). Let cool, then blend them in a food processor or blender until they are coarsely chopped. Remove from the processor and set them aside.
Put the basil, garlic and a few pinches of sea salt into the food processor and chop. Add the almonds back to the food processor (keeping them separate keeps the almonds from getting too finely chopped) with the tomatoes, cheese and olive oil and process briefly. Season with freshly ground black pepper and adjust the salt to your taste.
Cook your pasta until it is al dente and could use another minute of cooking time. Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water and drain the rest. Immediately toss the hot pasta a bit at a time with the pesto and mix quickly so that it drinks the sauce up a bit. Add more pasta water if needed, and pasta (I usually end up using 3/4 of a box depending on how juicy the sauce is). Serve warm with a heft sprinkling of fresh parmesan or pecorino and freshly ground pepper.
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