Thursday, January 6, 2011

Green Noodles

As I mentioned before about our tomatoes needing to come out of the garden, the basil needed to come out as well. Basil is delicious especially ground up with cheese added and called pesto. We pulled all the leaves off the plants, washed them and ended up with 8 cups of wet basil leaves. I didn't want them to dry out to have a dry herb (which can be done). Pesto around here is called green noodles or the base for a pizza instead of a tomato or ranch sauce.

One thing that my Sweetheart struggles with is my cooking by taste instead of exact measurement. The following recipe is one of those that is done by taste. I'll give measurements but adjust it to your personal preference.

Basic Pesto
Source: Various recipes that I've created my own
 
Ingredients
1 cup basil leaves (or use cilantro)
1 cup spinach
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup roasted pine nuts
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan-Raggiano cheese
1/2 cup fresh grated Romano cheese

In a blender, add basil, spinach, garlic, and pine nuts. Blend until smooth. Dissolve the bouillon in the water and add to mixture. At this point, you can add the cheese and use. If you are going to freeze the pesto and use later, do not add the cheese.

Add the pesto to what you like. The cilantro gives a different flavor. We like both.

3 comments:

Kris said...

Yum yum! I'm remembering having this at your house last year- a great recipe I'll try for sure!

Susan Anderson said...

I think I want to eat at your house!

;)

The Scrappy Cottage said...

This sound great. Will have to give it a try.....