Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Pesto!

I have a huge basil plant, and have only used a few leaves for spaghetti and such.  I'm ready to make some pesto!  I found these uses for pesto from my favorite gal--the pioneer woman, Ree Drummond (she has her own series coming on Food Network now too!).  And the recipe is here as well as below, but she uses it with a cream sauce.  You can just do the pesto without the cream sauce for other pesto dishes.  Do you think it'll freeze?  I'd love to make a big batch, then freeze bags of it to use later.  Thanks Ree!

Recipe: Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce

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Ingredients

  • 3/4 cups Fresh Basil Leaves
  • 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 3 Tablespoons Pine Nuts
  • 2 cloves Garlic, Peeled
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste
  • 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan (additional)
  • 12 ounces, weight Pasta (cavitappi, Fusili, Etc.)
  • 2 whole Tomatoes, Diced

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta until al dente.
Add basil leaves, 1/2 cup Parmesan, pine nuts, and salt and pepper to a food processor or blender. Turn machine on, then drizzle in olive oil while it mixes. Continue blending until combined, adding additional olive oil if needed. Set aside.
Heat cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add pesto and stir.
Drain pasta and place in a serving bowl. Pour pesto cream over the top. Toss to combine. Add diced tomatoes and toss quickly. Serve immediately.

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