Traditional pesto is made with pine nuts. Pine nuts are delicious but they can also be hard to find and quite expensive. I often substitute walnuts which also lend a nice flavor, are less expensive and have the same healthy fats as fish oil.
Feel free to experiment with different ingredients in your pestos. You can lightly toast the nuts to bring out their flavor but be careful not to burn them. Traditional pesto was made my hand, but the modern food processor makes pesto in a snap. You can use a blender but it will take longer and you need to prechop the ingredients to help the blender along. Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves; packed 3 garlic cloves 1/3 cup pine nuts 1/2 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, chopped pinch of freshly ground pepper extra-virgin olive oil; (about 1/4 cup) In food processor, combine basil, parsley, garlic and pine nuts. Pulse until finely minced. Add cheese and process to blend. With machine running, drizzle oil through feed tube until desired consistency is reached. It should be a thick paste. You can drizzle in water or fat-free stock to thin the pesto without adding additional oil.Transfer to small bowl and cover with plastic wrap (press directly to surface to prevent discolouring). Alternatively, cover surface with thin film of oil or place pesto into a freezer bag squeezing out the air. Store in fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 6 months.
Other Pesto Variations: Rosemary Pesto:Ingredients: 1 cup fresh rosemary leaves 1 - 2 cloves garlic 1/3 cup Parmesan-Reggiano or Pecorino cheese 1/4 cup waltnuts pinch of freshly ground pepper extra-virgin olive oil Sage Pesto:
Ingredients: 1 cup fresh sage leaves, packed 1 small sweet onion (Vidalia) chopped 1 clove garlic 1/4 cup walnuts 1/4 cup Parmesan-Reggiano cheese, chopped pinch of freshly ground pepper
Return to Sauce and Pesto Recipes
No comments:
Post a Comment