So who likes pesto?

*me, me, me!*

I used to think that pesto needed to have the basic 5 ingredients:

• basil
• pine nuts
• parmesan
• garlic
• olive oil

Not so!

You can make pesto with many other greens and other nuts. I still add in the garlic, parmesan and olive oil, but you can even add in different flavored olive oils to achieve a different flavor profile.

With my CSA, I get lots of different greens which won’t necessarily get eaten up before they start wilting. I decided to just make them into a pesto, freeze and use during the winter in pasta and chicken dishes, like this one. Gives you a healthy green and some summer flavor.

This pesto I made using spinach, arugula, pumpkin seeds, roasted garlic, parmesan and olive oil.  Super yummy and flavorful.

I have used walnuts and sunflower seeds, too.  I was going to use the vitamin greens I got in the box this week, but decided to sauté them with leeks and hot peppers for dinner tonight.

So…How much of each? I fill my food processor with the greens first and get them chopped up. Add in a handful of nuts, 1/3 cup or so of cheese and a good 3 cloves of minced garlic. I have been bad and have been purchasing those jars of garlic lately, so that means a good spoonful of garlic. I pulse that up until everything is chopped and incorporated and then turn it on and slowly pour in the olive oil on top, watching to get the consistency I want. I want it wet, but not too oily. I don’t like the oily pestos that you can buy.

To freeze the pesto, I use my big muffin pan and spray with some oil to make them easy to take out.  I load them up to about 1/2 to 2/3 full and freeze.  I know people also use ice cube trays, but I can’t find mine, so this works well, too.

When frozen, take them out and bag them up to use at a later date.  When I want to use them, I generally try to unthaw in the fridge, but you can throw in your pasta dishes in a frozen state.  Just break them up as you can.

Last weekend, I made this Baked Spaghetti.  I baked them in my big muffin tins, as I did not have those little loaf pans, and I also did it on the grill since my oven died on me.   I baked them for 10 minutes, rotated them and another 10 minutes.   In 1/2 of the alfredo spaghetti, I put some pesto, and it gave it some additional great flavor.  I much preferred it over the plain alfredo.

Now I get to figure out how to use my new convection oven/gas stove!