I LOVE pesto. I’m a basil addict, and when every ingredient individually is some of my favourite foods, you can’t really go wrong blending them all up together. The other week I had bought a big clamshell pack of baby arugula for salads, but of course the life of a law student doesn’t allow me to keep on top of my fresh produce too well. With piles of arugula about to go bad, the natural solution seemed to be to make some delicious pesto. I pretty much just made up the recipe below:
3 cups fresh baby arugula
1/3 cup grated parmigiano reggiano
1/3 cup pine nuts
4 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Enough olive oil to get the right consistency, at least 5-6 tablespoons
On the stovetop, heat a small pan on medium-low. Add in the pine nuts, and toast in the pan until the nuts become golden brown. Set aside.
In a food processor, combine arugula, parmigiano, garlic, nuts, and 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil to start. Puree on low until ingredients start to gain a smooth consistency. Continue drizzling more olive oil in, until the pesto becomes a smooth sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Store in a jar, topping with more olive oil to preserve .
To Serve:
Cook pasta to el dente. In a separate saute pan, begin heating up a liberal amount of pesto, about 3-4 tablespoons. Transfer cooked pasta into pan, including a small amount of the pasta water to loosen up the pesto into a nice sauce. Top with more grated parmesan.
