Pesto
A favourite for dressing pasta, and also wonderful on steamed potatoes and vegetables. You can vary your pesto by using other herbs such as cilantro, mint or parsley and by using other nuts such as almonds, pecans or walnuts.
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ ounces (43 g) Reggiano Parmigiano, cut into ½ inch (1.25 cm) cubes
- ½ cup (75 ml) toasted pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- ¾ teaspoon (3.75 ml) kosher salt
- 1 ½ cup (375 ml) packed fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup (125 ml) extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Place the cheese in the 4-Cup Chopper/Grinder; pulse on Chop 5 times; process continuously on Chop until finely ground, about 10 seconds. Remove and reserve.
Add nuts to the work bowl; pulse on Chop 5 times. Remove and reserve with the cheese.
Add the garlic and salt to the work bowl; process 5 seconds on Chop. Scrape the work bowl. Add the basil leaves and half of the olive oil. Pulse on Grind 10 times then grind continuously for about 15 seconds; scrape the bowl. With the machine running on Grind, add the remaining oil slowly, in a steady stream, through one of the holes in the recessed area of the cover. After all the oil has been added, process on Grind for an additional 10 seconds. Add the reserved cheese and nuts to the mixture; pulse 10 times on Chop to blend.
Transfer pesto to an airtight container. Pesto will keep in refrigerator for up to a week. It may also be frozen.
Nutritional information per serving (1 tablespoon [15 ml]):
Calories 120 (91% from fat) • carb. 1g • pro. 2g • fat 13g • sat. fat 2g • chol. 5mg • sod. 200mg • calc. 52mg • fiber 0g
