Growing Basil is not that difficult of an endeavor, trust me I have killed enough plants to know what horticultural tasks are within my capabilities, and I almost always manage to have a live basil plant back porch. But even with your own plant you can come up short a few cups of leaves, thus the spinach that I tossed into this recipe, and I was thrilled with the results. It gave a softer and slightly more mellow flavor to the pesto. I use pesto for everything including: pasta sauce, sauce for grilled chicken and fish, base for salad dressing, in a meatloaf, on a pizza, and as a spread on wraps and sandwiches.
Spinach and Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup pignolis pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons chopped garlic 6-9 cloves
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves packed
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- Juice and zest one lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Instructions
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Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil & spinach leaves, salt, lemon juice/zest and pepper.
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With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
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