Perfect Pesto

What You Need

Ingredients

5 to 6 ounces (2 healthy bunches or about 6 cups gently packed) basil leaves, or any other green
1/2 cup pine nuts, or any other nut
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, or any other hard cheese
1 to 2 garlic cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Equipment

Blender or food processor

Instructions

1. Blend half the basil with the nuts, cheese, and garlic: Combine half of the basil with the nuts, cheese, cloves, and salt in a blender or food processor. Blend continuously until the ingredients are finely chopped.
2. Blend in the rest of the basil: Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the basil. Blend until a uniform paste has formed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
3. Stream in the olive oil: With the blender running, stream in the olive oil. Less olive oil will make a paste good for spreading on sandwiches and pizzas; more will make a sauce better for pastas and stirring into soup. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue blending as needed until the olive oil is emulsified into the basil and the pesto looks uniform.
4. Taste and adjust: Taste the pesto and add more salt, garlic, nuts, or cheese as needed to taste.
5. Store your pesto: Pesto will darken and brown very quickly, but will still be tasty and fresh for several days. For best appearance, use it right away. If storing, store it in the smallest container possible and thoroughly press the pesto to eliminate air pockets. Pour a little olive oil over the surface, cover, and refrigerate for up to a week. Pesto can also be frozen for several months.

RAMP PESTO AND RAVIOLI

1 bunch ramps, fresh (about 20)

1/4 c. walnuts

1/2 c. parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 c. olive oil

1/2 tsp. sea salt

juice of one meyer lemon

Pasta

about 1 lb. Fresh ravioli noodles or follow this pasta recipe

Ricotta Filling

1/2 c. ricotta

1/4 c. ramp pesto

Light White Wine Cream Sauce

1 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp. unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 c. milk

1/2 c. broth

1/3 c. half and half

1/3 c. white wine

1/3 c. parmesan cheese, grated

sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

Garnish

fresh basil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make ramp pesto. Lightly chop ramps. Add to a food processor or Vitamix. Continue adding the remaining ingredients.
2. Puree until evenly combined, about one minute.
3. Taste to see if more salt is necessary.
4. Store in airtight container until ready to use, up to one week.
5. Make ravioli. Follow this recipe, or pull out fresh pasta sheets and set aside. If making homemade, I'd recommend a pasta press to ensure super thin sheets.
6. Make ricotta filling. In a bowl, stir together pesto and ricotta. See note above if making with a different type of pesto.
7. Prepare ravioli. Prepare a small bowl of water. Set aside.
8. To a sheet of ravioli, about 9"x6", add 3 dollops of the ricotta mixture, about a tablespoon, evenly spaced across the long half of the sheet. (see diagram).
9. Dip finger or thin brush in water and paint around the edges of the pasta sheet and in between the ricotta.
10. Carefully fold over and press, creating seems to differentiate each ravioli. Using a knife or pastry wheel, cut the ravioli into three pieces. Repeat until all noodles and filling are used.
11. Begin boiling water.
12. Make sauce. Melt butter in a small sauce pan. Once metled, lower the heat and whisk in flour until evenly combined.
13. Stir in milk, being sure to work out any clumps. Add remaining liquids and stir well.
14. Increase heat to medium-high and allow to thicken, stirring often. Add in parmesan, salt, and pepper. Once sauce has thicken, turned to low until pasta is ready. Taste and season if necessary.
15. Cook ravioli. Once water is boiling, cook the ravioli until it floats to the top, about 3-4 minutes. Cook in batches as to not overcrowd the pan, causing noodles to stick together.
16. Serve warm. Top with sauce and garnish with fresh basil

Spring Greens Pesto

1/2 cup broken up dried mushrooms
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb or so greens in season
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup lightly toasted nuts (pine nuts, almonds or walnuts)
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/2 lemon

Reconstitute the mushrooms in a small bowl or cup with just enough boiling water to cover. Set aside to cool in the water.

In a pan large enough to hold the greens, heat the oil and sauté the garlic briefly, then add the greens. If you are using a mix of greens, add the tougher ones (like kale and collards) before the tender ones, like spinach. Cook until wilted. The time on this can range widely: for only kale, it may take many minutes, while spinach alone will only take a few seconds. If the greens start to stick, add a splash of water.

Scrape the cooked greens into the blender and combine with the mushrooms and their juices, Parmesan, toasted nuts, salt and pepper, and finally, a squirt of lemon juice. If your blender has variable speeds, start slowly and increase gradually. Pur&acutee until silky smooth.

Serve over cooked pasta, with meat or fish, on crackers or toasted baguette as an hors d'oeuvre, or as a spread on sandwiches.

Will keep, its surface in direct contact with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for one week.

Dandelion Pumpkin Seed Pesto

Makes about 1 cup

3/4 cup unsalted hulled (green) pumpkin seeds
3 garlic gloves, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1 bunch dandelion greens (about 2 cups, loosely packed)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Black pepper, to tasted

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the pumpkin seeds onto a shallow-rimmed baking sheet and roast until just fragrant, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Pulse the garlic and pumpkin seeds together in the bowl of a food processor until very finely chopped.

Add parmesan cheese, dandelion greens, and lemon juice and process continuously until combined. Stop the processor every now and again to scrape down the sides of the bowl. The pesto will be very thick and difficult to process after awhile — that's ok.

With the blade running, slowly pour in the olive oil and process until the pesto is smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Creamy Basil Pesto

• 1 cup of basil pesto (recipe here)
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound favorite pasta, cooked

Pesto

• 3 garlic cloves
• ⅓ cup pine nuts
• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop garlic and pine nuts in food processor. Pulse a few times.
2. Add the basil and pulse a few more times.
3. Add the olive oil slowly while the food processor is running.
4. Scrape down the sides of the processor, add the grated cheese, pulse again to blend. (A lot of pulsing, I know.)
5. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add pesto and mix into the oil. Be sure to stir often as the pesto warms.
3. When the pesto is warmed and just a little bubbly, slowly stream in the heavy cream as you stir. (You can always add more cream it you'd like.)
4. Add some pasta water to thin out the sauce, if needed.
5. Turn down the heat and continue to stir to incorporate the cream and pesto.
6. Salt and pepper to taste.

Edamame Pesto

1. 2 cups cooked soybeans (shelled edamame beans)
2. 1/4 cup almonds
3. 1/4 cup olive oil
4. 2 tablespoons lemon juice
5. 2 cloves garlic
6. 1 teaspoon salt
7. 1/2 teaspoon sugar
8. pinch of pepper

Instructions

1. Place all your ingredients into your food processor. Pulse a few times until pesto texture. If your food processor is not moving, add 2 tablespoons of water.
2. Serve or put in the fridge to last a few days. It also freezes great.

Pumpkin Seed Pesto

1. 1/3 cup hulled pumpkin seeds, (pepitas)
2. 2 jalapeño peppers, quartered and seeded
3. 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4. 1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
   

   Lucerne Sour Cream Regular
5. 1 teaspoon lime juice
   Limes Regular
6. Salt, to taste
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13. Lightly toast pumpkin seeds in a small heavy skillet over medium heat, for about 2 minutes. Place in a blender or food processor; add jalapeños, cilantro, sour cream and lime juice. Blend until smooth. Season with salt.

spinach pea & mint pesto:

• ⅓ cup pine nuts
• 1 garlic clove
• ⅓ cup peas, thawed
• juice of most of 1 small lemon
• ½ teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1.5 cups packed spinach
• ¼ cup mint
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• generous amounts of salt and pepper

 Combine pine nuts and garlic in a small food processor. Pulse, then add peas, lemon juice and dijon mustard, spinach and mint. Blend until combined. Add olive oil and blend until smooth (or as smooth as you like).

GARLICKY PARSLEY PESTO PASTA

2 packed cups flat-leaf parsley, stems removed

2 cups ramps, green garlic, or a mixture of 4 cloves garlic and the green parts of 4 scallions

¹⁄₂ cup walnuts

2 tbsp. lemon zest (from one lemon)

¹⁄₄ lemon juice (from one lemon)

¹⁄₄ Parmesan cheese, grated

4 tbsp. olive oil, separated

Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

1 bunch thin asparagus

1 lb. dried thin spaghetti or cappellini

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in the bowl of a large mortar, toss parsley, ramps or green garlic, and walnuts; mash into a rough paste. (Alternatively you can use a blender or food processor, but the act of smashing seems to result in a more intense, nuanced flavor.)

Add lemon zest, lemon juice, cheese, 2 tbs olive oil, salt, and pepper to the pesto mixture and mash to incorporate, tasting and adding more olive oil and seasoning, as necessary. Once the pesto is to your taste, set it aside.

Once the water is boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the asparagus: trim and discard any woody ends. Thinly slice the asparagus lengthwise, so it mimics the pasta in shape.

A minute before the pasta is done, add the sliced asparagus to the boiling water. After a minute, drain the pasta and asparagus, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking water. Return the pasta and asparagus to the pot and toss with reserved pesto. Serve topped with a few grinds of black pepper and additional grated Parmesan.

WATERCRESS PESTO

• 1 cup tightly packed watercress
• 1/8 cup olive oil
• ½ clove garlic
• 2 Tablespoons toasted pine nuts
• 4 Tablespoons Parmesan
• ½ cup ricotta
• Pinch of salt

1. Blend Watercress, olive oil, garlic in a blender or food processor. Add Pine nuts, when smooth place in a bowl and add grated Parmesan and a pinch of salt. Add ricotta and stir well

Pistachio Mixed Herb Pesto

1/2 to 1 clove garlic, peeled
2 cups packed flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons fresh lemon thyme leaves
2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
3/4 cup roasted pistachios
Salt and pepper
2/3 cup olive oil

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pistachio-mixed-herb-pesto-recipe.html?oc=linkback



Into a blender with the motor running, add the garlic and pulse until finely chopped. Add all of the herbs, cheese, pistachios, salt, and pepper to the blender, and blend until finely chopped. With the blender running, add the olive oil in a steady stream until the mixture becomes creamy and emulsified.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/pistachio-mixed-herb-pesto-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Tomato Pesto

Topping Option #1: Tomato Pesto

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika (mix with the tomatoes)
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• a good slather of Kale Pepita Pesto (recipe below)

Kale-Pepita Pesto

Kale-Pepita Pesto

• ½ cup pepitas
• 1 small garlic clove
• 2 packed cups baby kale (or mix of kale and basil)
• Juice and zest of 1 small lemon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon dijon mustard
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon honey or maple syrup (optional to offset bitterness)

Cilantro Pesto Recipe

• 2 cups, packed, of cilantro, large stems removed
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped and seeded serrano chile
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Method

In a food processor, pulse the cilantro, almonds, onion, chile, and salt until well blended. With the food processor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream.

Add more oil as needed for your use.

Makes about 1 cup.

Whatever you don't use, you can freeze. Line a ice cube tray with plastic wrap and fill in the individual cube spaces with the pesto. Freeze and remove from the ice tray, put in a sealed freezer bag for future use.

Read more: http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/cilantro_pesto/#ixzz3vqydUz2e

pea tendril & pistachio pesto

• heaping ½ cup pistachios, chopped & toasted
• a few big handfuls of pea tendrils (or any mild soft leafy green)
• zest & juice of 1 small lemon
• 1 small garlic clove
• salt & pepper
• olive oil (a few tablespoons to ¼ cup)
• optional: handful of fresh basil or mint
• optional: grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. In a food processor, pulse together everything except for the olive oil. Drizzle the oil in slowly while the blade is running. Add as much or little olive oil as you want. Less oil will make a chunkier pesto, more olive oil will make it more smooth.
2. Taste and adjust seasonings.