pesto! — quinn's place

look, a green thing! haven't seen many of them around these parts throughout the entire month of december...woopsies.

happy new year!!!! time to put some colors back into our bodies that aren't white, brown, or yellow...amiriiiite??

it's 2017! can you even believe that noise?????! seems like such a futuristic number, but here we are.

pesto is one of those things that i never store bought again after i learned how to make it myself. it's easy. you just probably need to have a food processor. i haven't tried it in a blender...but i don't see why that wouldn't work, too. feel free to report back with any findings.

i like to toss the garlic cloves in a hot pan with a tiny bit of olive oil for a few minutes...just to cut that sTrOnG garlicky bite. if ya catch my drift. fresh garlic works perfectly, too. but its a pesky lingerer. and with 3 cloves swimming around in this cup o sauce...that's a high level of linger.

i make my pesto with both basil and arugula as the greenery. pesto is normally made with all basil, but somehow i do not *love* basil. i have a leaf of it with mozzarella & tomato and i'm like, "okay, cool, basil." i totally get that its a delicious, fresh, herbaceous, & fragrant flavor - i'm just not over the moon for the basil. so i like to use half basil and half arugula.

i learned the arugula pesto method from jessica of how sweet it is - who has given me tons and tons and tons of inspiration and confidence in the kitchen since i started following/obsessing over her blog the last several years. by the way, her pesto parmesan scone recipe in that link above are amazing and i've made them many times. a crowd pleaser!!

her arugula pesto idea also eventually led me to try making pesto with any ol' greens i had laying around, which was silly. i've tried it with mixed greens, spinach and kale and that was all wrongo. you need something bitter and with a bite! i feel like the arugula is bitter with a sharp, peppery taste, and the basil is fragrant and herbal. mix those together and you've got a lovely balance of flavors. then come the parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil to make the pesto complete!

just a note that i ended up freezing my basil and thawed it when i was ready to use it for this recipe. it worked out just as well! if you're planning to make fresh pesto, buy basil like 4 seconds before you're ready. it goes bad in the blink of an eye! and by that i mean like 3 days.

anyhoo! its delicious! flavorful! herbaceous! with a bite! sometimes..too much bite. adding just a tad of white or red wine vinegar cuts that sharp taste and balances it all out.

throw it on a pasta! gnocci! a pizza! quinoa! vegetables! crackers! with beans! i dunno, maybe not beans, but maybe so beans! pesto is primo for versatility. just try it on everythaaang.

Homemade Pesto

Yields about 1 cup pesto sauce

Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups basil
2 cups arugula
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated or in chunks
1/4 cup olive oil, + 1-2 TB if necessary
1/2 tsp. white vinegar or red wine vinegar (optional)

Instructions-

Add all ingredients to a food processor and run until everything is incorporated and a pesto sauce forms. Add 1 - 2 TB extra of olive oil if the sauce seems too thick.

Optionally, add 1/2 tsp. of white vinegar or red wine vinegar to take away a bit of the bitter arugula bite.

Store in a jar or airtight container in the refrigerator. Use within 7-10 days.