So lately I have had pesto on the brain — I don’t know if it’s because of all the lovely basil I saw at the markets all summer, and still see a good amount of, or if it’s just because I find it easy to make and is good on more than just pasta.
The other week, I had a bunch of parsley left over from a recipe, so I figured I would try to do a parsley basil pesto. I had made a walnut parsley pesto once that just did not work — something about the walnuts made the whole concoction brown and it didn’t even taste that good.
So this time, I figured I would just tweak my Basic Basil Pesto recipe with some parsley.
Not-So-Basic Parsley Basil Pesto
Makes about 3/4 cup pesto
1/4 cup pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups (loosely packed) basil leaves, washed
1 cup (loosely packed) parsley, including stems is fine
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano
1/4 cup olive oil
First, toast the pinenuts until fragrant and golden — I usually toast them in a pan on the stove, but the oven is fine too. The toasting takes just a couple of minutes — your nose will tell you when the pine nuts are ready. Set pine nuts aside the let cool.
Puree the 2 garlic cloves (CGL Note: I use a food processor, but a blender or mortar/pestle work equally well), then add the toasted pine nuts and puree the two ingredients together. Add the basil and parsley and puree again. Add the grated cheese and the olive oil. I don’t puree much more after that — I like my pesto not too smooth. but it’s really up to you.
And that’s it!
The parsley makes the pesto a little earthier and “greener” — even though I was craving pesto, I ended up having it with some grilled chicken and leftover baguette.
General Disclosures & Disclaimers
