Arugula Pesto

From: Simply Recipes

This is the first of what I assume will be many new recipes that I try as I figure out how to prepare all of our CSA produce this summer. I've never used arugula before, and Todd wanted to try out the new panini maker that I gave him for Christmas and has been sitting in the box ever since. So, we made panini sandwiches with grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella and arugula pesto. Yum. :) I sort of eyeballed all the ingredients here, but this is the basic recipe I based it on.

2 cups of packed arugula leaves, tough stems removed
1/2 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
1/2 garlic clove peeled and minced

Brown 6 garlic cloves with their peels on in a skillet over medium high heat until the garlic is lightly browned in places, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic from the pan, cool, and remove the skins.

Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown, or heat in a microwave on high heat for a minute or two until you get that roasted flavor. In our microwave it takes 2 minutes.

Combine the arugula, walnuts, roasted and raw garlic into a food processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Because the pesto is so dependent on the individual ingredients, and the strength of the ingredients depends on the season or variety, test it and add more of the ingredients to taste.

Mix with freshly prepared pasta of your choice (or whatever you're making). You may need to add a little bit of water or more olive oil to mix the pesto more evenly with the pasta.

Makes enough pesto sauce for an ample serving of pasta for four people.

Comments

Kelly said…
That's pretty similar to the version I posted in Feb. except it calls for chick peas in lieu of walnuts. I still have some in my freezer...maybe I should eat it up soon so I can make way for basil pesto:>
Alissa said…
Yeah, I forgot you posted that recipe. I knew I wanted to make arugula pesto, so I just put arugula pesto into google, and the Simply Recipes recipe was the first to come up, so that's what I used. I'll have to try it with chickpeas sometimes.... you know how much I love me some chickpeas. :)
Kelly said…
I know! Next time I make it I'll use your recipe. I'm curious about whether I'll taste a big difference.

p.s. made homemade hummus Sat. night and thought of you:> Mmmm...chick peas...

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