Pesto

Looking for a specific recipe? ask here someone will be along ASAP to help you out!
Post Reply
foxysnana
Posts: 132
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2011 9:01 am

Pesto

Post by foxysnana » Wed Jan 04, 2012 4:35 pm

I finally have a food processor, and I have always wanted to make pesto, but I need a good recipe for it. I have the time tomorrow to make this, want to make a pesto & pasta dish for dinner tomorrow.

Anything else to use my food processor for? I see the cooking shows on TV, think oh that looks good, but never had the food processor to make some of this stuff. Now I have the food processor, I can't remember what I wanted to try. Any good ideas to use the food processor? I want to break this puppy in right, LOL

Felix4067
Posts: 3167
Joined: Sat Oct 15, 2011 7:24 pm

Re: Pesto

Post by Felix4067 » Wed Jan 04, 2012 5:02 pm

I have a couple we used to love, but I haven't made them in years since my food processor blew up (quite literally, with sparks and smoke and stuff). That's what I get for shopping at garage sales! :lol:

Chicken Breasts with Orange Basil Pesto
What you need:
½ cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons olive oil
6 chicken breast halves

How to make it:
Preheat broiler.
Place basil, orange peel and garlic in food processor; process until finely chopped.
Add orange juice, mustard, oil, and salt and pepper to taste; process several seconds or until paste forms.
Spread equal amounts of basil mixture under skin and on bone side of each chicken breast.
Place chicken, skin side down, on broiler pan; place pan 4 inches from heat source.
Broil 10 minutes.
Turn chicken over and broil 10-12 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.
If chicken browns too quickly, cover with foil.
Remove skin from chicken before serving.

Serves 6
Per serving:
Calories: 206
Cholesterol: 91mg
Fat: 6g
Sodium: 113mg

FETTUCCINE WITH CREAMY BASIL-PINE NUT SAUCE
What you need:
1 garlic clove
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup light ricotta cheese
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 cup (2 ounces) crumbled blue cheese
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoon pine nuts
1 (9-ounce) package fresh fettuccine
Fresh basil leaves (optional)

How to make it:
Place the garlic in a food processor, and pulse 2 to 3 times. Add basil and the next 5 ingredients (through the pepper); process until smooth.
Stir in pine nuts.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
Combine pasta and sauce in a large bowl; toss well.
Garnish with fresh basil, if desired.

Makes 3 servings.
Per Serving:
CAL 493 (26% from fat)
FAT 14g (sat 5.4g, mono 4.2g, poly 3.2g)
PROT 22.6g
CARB 71.2g
FIBER 2.5g
CHOL 20mg
IRON 3.7mg
SODIUM 346mg
CALCIUM 261mg

Denise
Posts: 1205
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:02 am

Re: Pesto

Post by Denise » Wed Jan 04, 2012 5:35 pm

My favorite pesto recipe is on that OTHER site :lol: This looks pretty close though -

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food ... index.html

I mainly use mine for crushing things up - like canned tomatoes. I also slice potatoes very thinly for casseroles or au gratins and use it to make salsa. I use it when I have a lot of veg to chop, like the trinity for etouffee. Toss all the veg in, whirl it up.

Oh, and grating cheese. I do not know why anyone would grate cheese by hand, it'll grate a block of cheese in about 30 seconds.

And that is all I use mine for :lol:

HotPepperRosemary
Posts: 992
Joined: Sat Oct 15, 2011 11:24 am

Re: Pesto

Post by HotPepperRosemary » Thu Jan 05, 2012 10:10 am

Recipe I use all the time....

Genovese Pesto
Ingredients:
3 cups fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup pine nuts
Natural Sea Salt Coarse
2/3 cup really good Extra Virgin Olive Oil (a good olive oil is very important...)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/4 cup of freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Directions:

Preparation with a pestle and mortar:

Gently wash the basil, pulling all the stems off and preserving only the leaves, and allow them to dry on a towel. Start with the garlic - it's a popular ritual that you should have a clove of garlic per thirty leaves of basil (no, you don't have to count the leaves) and add the basil with a dash of coarse sea salt. You need to gently roll the pestle against the mortar walls, shredding the leaves as you go. As soon as basil juice starts to form in the bottom of the mortar, it's time to add and crush the pine nuts. Then add the two grated cheeses in the mortar and continue to stir until a nice green paste is formed. Add the olive oil very slowly, while slowly rolling the pestle. Adjust with salt and there you have it - the best pesto of your life.

Preparation with a food processor:

A trick to avoid the risk of the heat produced by the food processor spoiling the pesto flavor is to put the removable parts of the processor in the freezer for a couple of hours before using it. Also, in order to reduce the amount of time the leaves are in contact with the blades, put all your ingredients in the food processor at once and use the maximum speed; if you work fast, you'll get a great pesto. (It's helpful to stop the processor three or four times to scrape the pesto from the sides with a spatula.)

I freeze it for later use too. Delicious as a spread too!!!! ie...Bruschetta

Post Reply