This Recipe is part of the Mid-Summer Feast Early Harvest Menu
Pesto is so much more than a pasta sauce. Make it all summer long, and add unrestrained dollops of the aromatic paste to salads, soups, tomato sauce, mayonnaise and more.
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, crushed under a knife and peeled
1/3 cup pine nuts, walnuts or almonds
1/2 cup (2 oz) freshly grated Parmesan or Romano, or a combination of both
3 cups packed fresh arugula, well rinsed and dried in a salad spinner
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more to cover pesto
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. With the machine running, drop garlic through the feed tube of a food processor. Add the nuts and cheese, and process until the nuts are finely chopped. Add the arugula. With machine running, gradually add the oil, scraping down the sides of the work bowl as needed, to make thick paste. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Transfer the pesto to a shallow container and smooth the pesto. Pour a thin film of olive oil over the pesto to discourage discolouration. Cover the container and refrigerate until ready to use. (The pesto can be stored for up to 3 weeks, covered and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before using.)
Makes about 2 cups
Excerpted from Summer Gatherings by Rick Rodgers. Copyright © 2008 by Rick Rodgers. Excerpted by permission of HarperCollins. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. Buy the book now.