The more time I spend in my kitchen making simple things like bread, salad dressings or hummus I wonder why I ever bothered buying these things from the supermarket. Okay, I don’t wonder; most of the time making my own kitchen staples didn’t occur to me. And when it did, I was lazy about getting into the kitchen and actually doing it.
It didn’t take long before I realized that taking a few extra minutes to whirl some ingredients through the food processor or blender was well worth the extra effort. Fresh, homemade anything trumps processed, packaged and store-bought any day.
Last weekend we had friends coming over and I decided to make our favorite, Friday Night Pizza for dinner, subbing this fresh, homemade pesto for the 1/2 cup of pizza sauce I normally use. Taking that five extra minutes to whip up the pesto made all the difference on our pizza (and the gnocchi I drizzled it over a couple of days later).
While we were in Iceland I picked up a jar of garlic cloves that had been packed in hot chili oil. I threw a couple of these in to the mix which gave the pesto and the pizza a little kick. But, of course, regular old garlic cloves would work just as well.
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Spinach Pesto
Adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cooking School
Makes about a cup
Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups loosely packed spinach
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon course salt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup olive oil (this is one of those times to use your best-quality EVOO)
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350F to toast the pine nuts. Spread nuts on a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nuts are lightly golden. Transfer to a plate to cool.
2. In a food processor or blender (you can also use a mortar and pestle), mix spinach, pine nuts, garlic and salt until pasty. Add in cheese and incorporate.
3. While mixing, pour in the oil in a slow, steady stream and mix until combined.
4. Serve immediately or cover with a layer of oil and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
I just love Pesto!!!
I make batches of it when produce is in season, freeze it in ice cube trays and then pop them out storing them in the freezer bags or Tupperware -it’s so great… when I need some I just take as many cubes as I need and voila fresh home made pesto!!!
Thanks for letting me share!
That looks SO good. I love me some pesto.
I seriously need to actually write down or print some of these wonderful little recipes you keep throwing at us…one day.
Speaking of lazy… haha.
Amanda, This sounds fantastic and so healthy! I will try it this week!
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