I think everyone has heard about the Italian Pesto sauce, which in its original version is made from basil, however, it can also be made from parsley, spinach, arugula, watercress, wild garlic, and other aromatic juicy greens
ingredients :
100-120 g arugula leaves
4-5 young garlic feathers / 2-3 cloves
40 g Parmesan cheese
40 g pine nuts
100 g olive oil
Salt to taste
1 tbsp. lemon juice / white wine vinegar
Pinch of sugar (optional)
Yield: 300-320 gr
Method :
Today I picked this bunch of arugula from the garden, which had already been outgrown due to heavy rains. Now I’ll tear off the leaves, wash and dry them slightly. In addition, I will add 5 feathers of young garlic to the sauce
All the greens are prepared – I got 120 g of arugula leaves. Place them together with the garlic in a blender or food processor
Pour in 40 g of grated cheese – I used Parmesan, but you can use any other hard variety, or do without cheese at all; 40 g pine nuts toasted in a dry frying pan – if you don’t have them, replace them with any other toasted nuts or seeds
Add 100 g of olive oil to the blender bowl – if you don’t like it, take sunflower oil, which is more aromatic
Pour a little salt there, pour in 1 tbsp. lemon juice, white wine or apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of sugar to balance the taste, although the original recipe does not add sugar
Grind all the ingredients in a blender, but do not try to turn them into a completely homogeneous puree, otherwise, the products will oxidize and the sauce will darken – Pesto should have a fine-grained texture
That’s all! The sauce is prepared literally in one, two, or three times! Taste it and adjust if necessary. If you want to make a meatless version, simply omit the cheese
The sauce should be stored in the refrigerator, without access to air, under a thin layer of oil for no longer than 2-3 weeks. In addition, the sauce can be frozen – it will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months!
With Pesto sauce, you can prepare and serve various soups, vegetable salads, and many other healthy and tasty dishes: meatballs, poultry, fish, meat, legumes, potatoes, eggs, seafood, sandwiches, pizza, lasagna, burgers, and of course any pasta
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