Author’s Note
Homemade pesto has an unmatched quality and zest to it. If you haven’t tried your hand in making it, I think you should. Once you have made it, you’ll have the passport to an effortless weeknight meal. All you need is a food processor, some greens, some nuts, some cheese and you’ll have dinner in a presto. Toss it with a salad, serve it over some grilled fish or meat. Clearly, I haven’t come across a more versatile sauce than a pesto.
Traditionally pesto consists of crushed garlic, pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves and some hard cheese like Parmigiano or Pecorino. In this quick pesto, I am adding some of my favorite greens, kale and arugula, with a jalapeno thrown in for some kick. Because aren’t these the times when we are re-thinking everything else, so why not re-think pesto? We are no longer limited to the classic basil pesto. We are throwing anything our imagination conjures up or anything we fancy in our pesto.
I use baby kale and arugula for their softer and milder taste. Then there is sweet basil for some fragrance and to brighten up the flavor, pine nuts provide some buttery nuttiness and balances out everything. The single jalapeno seems to steer away some of the bold and tangy flavor of the Pecorino Romano cheese, which I think is necessary here. I like to toss this pesto with some fusilli lunghi, a long corkscrew shaped pasta, and some burrata on the side.
Recipe
Ingredients
| Pesto | |
|---|---|
 | 1 cup baby kale |
| 1 cup baby arugula |
| 1 cup Genovese or sweet basil |
| 3 cloves of garlic |
| ½ cup pine nuts |
| 1 jalapeno pepper |
| Juice of half of a lemon |
| ⅔ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese |
| ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil |
| 1 teaspoon sea salt |
| 1 teaspoon pepper |
| Pasta and Burrata | |
|---|---|
| 1 pound fusilli lunghi or spaghetti or any pasta of your choice |
| A few pieces of burrata. Buratta is a cow’s milk cheese made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is mozzarella while the inside is cream. |
Instructions
| To a food processor fitted with a metal blade, add garlic, Pecorino and pine nuts. Process until they look like fine breadcrumbs |
| Add the kale, arugula, basil, jalapeno, lemon juice, salt, pepper and olive oil and process again to make a smooth mixture. Taste and adjust the seasonings |
| Boil some generous amount of water in a large pot and add salt to it |
| Cook the pasta according to the package directions in the hot salted water |
| Reserve a cup of pasta cooking liquid |
| Toss the pasta with pesto and the reserved cooking liquid |
| Serve warm with some burrata on the side |
Note: The pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three or four days. It can be used to top your salad or meat. It is delicious on bread too.
Inspiration: My garden herbs and greens