I admit it: you need a food processor for this one, or at least a small blender.* But there are few things that will pack more bang for your buck than homemade pesto, so give it a shot if at all possible. You will spend less than five minutes (with the exception of toasting the nuts, which might take longer), and you will end up with a healthy, flavorful garnish that can transform pasta, chicken, grains, and even roasted vegetables.
Basic Formula
Greens + Toasted nuts + Oil + Garlic + Cheese + Salt + (optional) Citrus Juice = Pesto
[As you may have guessed, the classic formula utilizes fresh basil, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano, salt, and lemon juice. But basil is expensive, and pesto is a fabulous way to use greens that are sitting in your fridge. In addition to the arugula/cashew mix shown here, I’ve made pesto with spinach/walnuts, kale/walnuts, and arugula/pistachios. Thanks to the chefs whose books I have read for inspiring me to branch out!]
Basic Steps
1. Toast nuts. You can do this in a small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat or in the toaster oven. Warning: Nuts are expensive. Watch them like a hawk. They tend to burn as soon as you turn your back. Shake frequently to keep them from getting out of control.
2. Wash/dry greens.
3. Throw all ingredients into a food processor and blend together (see below for a picture of my ingredients pre-processing). You may have to stop once or twice to scrape the ingredients back into the bottom of the machine. You’ll know you’re done when you don’t have any more big chunks of leaves or nuts.
4. Taste your pesto and adjust quantities as necessary. See “Additional Notes” for suggestions.
Additional Notes: You might be panicking because I haven’t told you how much of anything to use. Pesto is a matter of personal preference. I tend to use a handful of nuts for every two handfuls of greens, plus 2–3 cloves of raw garlic and enough oil to tie it all together. Add the other ingredients to taste–you won’t screw anything up. Remember that if your pesto tastes strong, that’s probably a good thing, especially with something like pasta where you’re only going to get a little bit of pesto in each bite.
* My husband points out that people haven’t always had food processors and used to use crazy knife skills to chop all of the pesto ingredients to the proper consistency. Go this route if you want; it will probably convince you to buy a food processor.
