This is a fabulous pesto that you can make very easily in your food processor; all fresh ingredients and a lot of flavour! You can use this as a pasta sauce or as a dip with wedges of fresh bread or veggies. Another idea would be to toast some thick slices of Italian bread, spread it over the top and broil (like bruschetta). Yum!! I made a quick batch for my son to use on his pasta tonight and he loved it. This recipe is for a small batch that would serve two over pasta, but it can easily be doubled or tripled.
Ingredients:
-2 cups cherry tomatoes (you can cook them quickly in a skillet over medium heat, just long enough to soften the skin a bit---this helps them break down in the food processor). If you can''t find fresh cherry tomatoes, a company called Aurora sells them whole in the can and they are available at most grocery stores---in this case no need to cook.
-2 cups fresh basil leaves (it is a pesto after all:)
-2 cups arugula (this is a peppery green leaf that is usually found in the spinach section at the grocery store and adds a wonderful flavour)
-1/4 cup almonds, chopped (for a nuttier flavour you can also "toast" these in a dry skillet at medium high for a couple of minutes, but it is not necessary); the almonds give a great texture to the pesto
-3 garlic cloves, chopped (or, you can use 2 tsp garlic powder)
-1/8 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
-1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
-salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions:
Toss everything in the food processor and process for about 1 minute---that's it!! Make sure you have your favourite pasta ready to serve, so you can pour this right over it, give it a few tosses and dig in! The hot pasta will heat up the sauce. Some extra grated cheese for garnish is always great!
