Posts tagged ‘pesto’
Recipe of the Week – Fresh Tomato Pesto
(From the Vegetarian Entree Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Fresh Tomato Pesto on Angel Hair Pasta
It’s November and we still have tomatoes on the vine, what a treat. As I look out at the garden even the basil hasn’t given it up for the season. Not wanting this gift from Mother Nature to go to waste I decided on making a fresh tomato pesto. Talk about fast prep, the whole thing took just about 5 minutes; not counting cooking the pasta. It’s important not to rinse your pasta and to put it back into the hot pot. Pour the pesto on top and mix thoroughly; the heat from the pasta will melt the cheese.
I made this dish to celebrate the bonus from the garden but also to use up some goat cheese I had in the fridge; got the first part right; forgot to put the goat cheese on top. Either way, with or without the goat cheese this is a great and quick dinner.
Fresh Tomato Pesto on Angel Hair Pasta
| Recipe Summary | |
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Vegetarian Entrée |
| Meal: | other (General) |
| 0.5 | cup | basil leaves, whole |
| 3 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 1 | cup | tomatoes, cherry |
| 0.75 | cup | cheese, Romano, grated |
| 0.5 | cup | oil, olive |
| 0.5 | tsp | salt, kosher |
| 2 | Tb | capers |
| 1 | lb | pasta, angelhair, cooked |
Place the basil, garlic and tomatoes in a food processor. Pulse until a course chop. Add cheese, reserving 2 Tb, oil and salt and pulse until blended. Mix in capers but don’t pulse. Serve over hot pasta and sprinkle with reserved cheese.
Add dollops of goat cheese to make this a special meal.
More recipes like this at emealsforyou.com
Recipe of the Week – Pesto ( hold the pine nuts)
(From the Misc Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Basil Pesto on Pasta
Pesto is a wonderful thing. You can make it with almost any herb or vegetable. You can serve it as an appetizer, a dip or a sauce on pasta or meats and fish. Basically you add cheese, garlic, olive oil and your herb or vegetable and some nuts together in a food processor, process until you get the consistency you wish and voila! you have it; all in about 30 seconds.
We have been making assorted pesto for years; combining sun-dried tomatoes and toasted pecans or spinach and hazelnuts, and of course basil and pine nuts. (see our selections at emealsforyou.com). The problem and reason for this post is that there seems to be a shortage of pine nuts on the market. Usually readily available in the grocery in pound bags, you are lucky to see a couple ounce jar in the Italian specialty aisle for about $5. Don’t let this dissuade you from making pesto. Use toasted walnuts in place of the pine nuts and you will not notice the difference. The texture will be the same and you will get the same “sweetness” that the pine nuts provided. Basil is flourishing in the bright sunshine, plant some or buy some but give pesto a try for a great meal.
Basil Pesto
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Misc |
| Meal: | other (General) |
| 0.5 | cup | basil leaves, whole |
| 0.75 | cup | pine nuts, toasted |
| 0.75 | cup | cheese, Romano |
| 1.5 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 0.75 | cup | oil, olive |
Toast pine nuts lightly. Place basil, pine nuts ( or any other nut you choose), garlic and romano in food processor, process until a paste forms, add oil slowly until you reach the consistency you desire. Should be spreadable, like peanut butter.
Note: Great on sandwiches, may be used on pasta. I spread it on toasted French bread, sprinkle with romano and basil and broiler slightly.
Shown here on pasta.
Recipe of the Week – Pasta with Asparagus Pesto
(From the Vegetarian Entree category at www.emealsforyou.com)
Pasta with Asparagus Pesto
Well, the eat-a-thon is over. We survived with just a minimum of weight gain. The extended weekend with my mother-in-law and brother-in-law was great and of course we overate. Just when you thought it was safe to come out of the kitchen, BOOM, Easter brunch, party of 13 your table is ready.
My wife has been eyeing up recipes that include asparagus and especially pesto so it was no surprise when she suggested we come up with an asparagus pesto of our own. NO problem as we have basil pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto and even spinach pesto on our website, www.emealsforyou.com. Problem, no pine nuts. I did have a cup of hazelnuts, which I toasted and then put into the food processor. We decided to go one more step and serve this pesto over a wheat pasta, we are trying to eat more multi-grain foods, and the results were really good. A note here: for those of us who tried whole wheat pasta in the past and found it very similar to cardboard, try the new stuff, you really can’t taste the difference from the usual pasta.
Pasta with Asparagus Pesto
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Vegetarian Entrée |
| Meal: | N/A |
| 1 | lb | pasta, cooked |
| 1 | lb | asparagus, grilled |
| 4 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 1 | cup | hazelnuts, toasted |
| 1 | cup | cheese, Romano |
| 1 | cup | oil, olive |
| 1 | Tb | pepper, fresh cracked |
Cut the top 2 inches off the grilled asparagus, cut in half and reserve. Chop remaining asparagus into pieces and place in a food processor. Add the garlic and nuts and process until rough chop. Add all but 2 Tb of the Romano cheese and the oil and process to a rice-like consistency. Place in a large bowl, add hot pasta and the reserved asparagus tips. Toss, add a little of the pasta water if too thick. Sprinkle with reserved Romano and fresh black pepper. Serve
Pesto – A Happy Rant
(From the Misc Collection at emealsforyou.com)
Everytime I go back to New Jersey to visit family the one consistent request is for Sun-dried Tomato Pesto. This last time was no exception; the pesto was served on toast points with a thin slice of turkey as part of our appetizer plates. Most of us forget about the usefulness of a simple pesto in moving a meal or party snack to a higher level.
By simply mixing sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, pecans, olive oil and cheese in the bowl of a food processor yields a unique taste treat that can be served on crackers, spread on a sandwich in place of mayo or thinned out with a little more olive oil and give a boost to any pasta. Top off a chicken breast with a dollop and you have a gourmet meal that everyone will love.
Pesto can be made of many different herbs and ingredients. Using the last home-grown basil of the season, add it to your processor bowl with some pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and cheese to give you a great tasting sauce or spread. Any leftover can be frozen to be used in the dead of winter to add a surprise element to a dreary meal. The same goes for spinach, hazelnuts, garlic, olive oil and cheese. Give pesto a try, your family will love it, your friends will be amazed by your culinary acumen and you might find a smile on your face.
Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
| Complexity: | Easy |
| Serves: | 6 |
| Category: | Misc |
| Meal: | Brunch Anyone? (Distinctive Dinners) |
| 0.75 | cup | sun dried tomato |
| 0.75 | cup | pecans, halved |
| 1.5 | cloves | garlic, chopped |
| 0.75 | cup | cheese, Romano, grated |
| 0.75 | cup | oil, olive |
Toast pecans slightly. Place tomatoes, pecans, garlic and Romano in food processor, process until a paste forms, add oil slowly until you reach the consistency you desire. Should be spreadable, like peanut butter.
Note: The color will vary with the color of the sun dried tomatoes you use. Great on sandwiches, may be used on pasta. I spread it on toasted French bread, sprinkle with romano and basil and broiler slightly
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