In the summertime I love making a fresh Pistachio Mint Pesto. It reminds me of the Summers I spent working at a fine-dining Italian restaurant in Atlanta, GA called Ciao Bella. We had this delicious Chicken pesto penne pasta that was out of this world and this recipe I created is inspired by the traditional Pesto sauce that we served.
I really like making this sauce because it's one of those sauces that is easy to make and goes with almost anything. I like to mix it with linguine or put it on top of a beautifully grilled piece of Tilapia. And the great thing about it is you can use it as a sandwich spread for lunch the next day.
Pistachio Mint Pesto Sauce
Ingredients
4 | cups fresh basil leaves (from about 3 large bunches) |
cup olive oil | |
⅓ | cup pistachio |
2 | garlic cloves |
1 | teaspoon lemon zest |
1 | tablespoon lemon juice |
¼ | cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
¼ | cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese |
1 | teaspoon kosher salt sprig of mint (optional) |
Add cheese and salt; blend until smooth. Transfer pesto into small bowl.
Pesto Tips
By using a blender instead of a food processor the Pesto will be smoother.
This Pesto can be made 1 day in advance. When you store it, top it with 1/2 inch olive oil and place in the refrigerator.
You could also freeze it in ice cube trays and enjoy later.
If you want to use the Pesto as a sauce for pasta, then add 1/4 cup of pasta water to the sauce. Then add the cooked pasta. This will help the sauce adhere to the pasta.
No comments:
Post a Comment