Recipe

Pesto-bilities Recipe


Pesto-bilities Recipe
This is a collection of Pesto recipes I put together (and prepared) over time. There are so very many (dishes/uses for pesto. I make a variety of flavors & give as gifts in small jars. If you have a flavor injector, inject some pesto into roasts etc... More

Californiac

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Ingredients
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Directions
  1. Pesto-bilities: Toss w pasta (or lasagna), toasted pine nuts & top w crumbled Feta cheese. Stir into stews, coat meat, chicken or lamb before roasting, or stuff pesto under the skin of a chicken breast before roasting. Serve as a dip w crackers or crostini. Fold into mashed potatoes. Serve w tomato slices & Balsamic vinegar & ground pepper or in a pita pocket w your favorite fillings, i.e. chicken, fish, etc. Top a pizza w some pesto & veggies.
  2. ARTICHOKE LEMON PESTO
  3. The idea for this recipe is from a pesto sold at a local market, but this version contains much more basil. Increase the lemon peel & Parmesan, if desired.
  4. 1 (12-oz) pkg frozen artichoke hearts, thawed/rinsed/well-drained
  5. 1 c packed fresh basil leaves
  6. 1 lemon, grated peel & juice
  7. 1-2 cloves garlic, pressed
  8. 1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
  9. 1/3 c olive oil
  10. 3-4 tbl water
  11. Seasoned salt & garlic pepper to taste
  12. In food processor w metal blade, combine all ingredients. Process until finely pureed but not smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste. Place in glass or plastic container, cover & chill until serving time. Makes about 11/2 c.
  13. ARTICHOKE LEMON PESTO DIP
  14. 1 c Artichoke Lemon Pesto (recipe above)
  15. 1/4 c Mayonnaise
  16. 1/2 c + 1 tbl Parmesan Cheese
  17. Preheat oven to 350. Mix together all ingredients except 1 tbl cheese until blended. Spoon into baking dish & sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Bake 30 mins or until cheese bakes into a golden crust.
  18. Lemon-Parsley Pesto:
  19. In a food-processor bowl combine 4 cups fresh spinach leaves (about 8 ounces), 1/2 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, 1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, 1/3 cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts, 2 cloves garlic quartered, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and process until nearly smooth. (If desired, use a blender and add 2 to 4 tablespoons water with the spinach leaves.) Makes about 1 cup.
  20. SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO
  21. 8 oz. jar Sun dried Tomatoes in olive oil
  22. 2 oz. Basil, chopped
  23. 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  24. salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  25. Add all ingredients in a food processor and puree till smooth. Remove to a bowl & season with salt and pepper.
  26. SUN-DRIED TOMATO PESTO - 2
  27. 1 1/2 c drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
  28. 1/3 c grated Parmesan OR Romano cheese OR a combination of the two
  29. 1/2 c packed fresh basil leaves
  30. 3 tbl toasted pine nuts OR blanched slivered toasted almonds
  31. 1 clove garlic, chopped
  32. 1 shallot, chopped
  33. 1/4 c olive oil
  34. Salt & pepper
  35. In food processor w metal blade, combine sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, basil, nuts, garlic & shallot & process until chopped. Add oil & process until mixture is finely pureed, but still has some texture. Add salt & pepper to taste. Cover & chill until serving. Makes about 1 1/2 c.
  36. Sun-Dried Tomato Walnut Pesto
  37. 1-1/2 ounces sun-dried tomato halves
  38. 2 cups boiling water
  39. 1 bunch Italian Parsley leaves, washed
  40. 1/2 cup toasted walnuts or pine nuts
  41. 5 T extra-virgin olive oil
  42. 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
  43. 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  44. 1 stalk green garlic, trimmed like you would a leek or green onion, chopped (or 1 chopped garlic clove)
  45. 1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes, optional
  46. S & P to taste
  47. In a medium-sized heat-proof bowl, combine the tomatoes and boiling water. Let stand until the tomatoes are plump and fairly tender, about 15 minutes. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the tomato soaking water, then drain the tomatoes and chop them coarsely. In a food processor, combine the tomatoes, basil, walnuts, olive oil, reserved tomato water, red wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, garlic, chile paste, a generous grinding of pepper and salt. Process in short bursts, stopping several times to scrape down the sides of the work bowl. The mixture should be evenly chopped but chunky. Serve over pasta or as an appetizer dip or spread. Yield: 2 cups
  48. BASIL PESTO
  49. 2 c packed fresh basil leaves
  50. 3 tbl pine nuts, walnuts OR pistachios
  51. 2 lg cloves garlic, peeled
  52. 1/4 c olive oil
  53. 3 tbl freshly grated Parmigiano-reggiano cheese
  54. In food processor w steel blade, place basil, pine nuts & garlic. Process until finely minced. Add oil & cheese & process until mixed in. Transfer to a bowl, cover & chill. Makes about 3/4 c.
  55. DILL PESTO
  56. Refreshes cucumbers, green beans, potato dishes, melon, yogurt dips,
  57. sauces & egg dishes.
  58. 1 1/2 c packed fresh dill leaves
  59. 1/2 c packed fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
  60. 2 tbl walnuts, pistachios OR pine nuts
  61. 2 lg cloves garlic, peeled & smashed
  62. 3 tbl olive oil
  63. 2 tbl freshly grated Parmesan OR Romano cheese
  64. In food processor w steel blade, place dill, parsley, nuts & garlic. Process until finely minced. Add oil & cheese & process until mixed in. Transfer to a bowl, cover & chill. Makes about 3/4 c.
  65. ZUCCHINI PESTO
  66. 1 c packed fresh basil leaves
  67. 1/4 c walnuts, toasted
  68. 1-2 cloves garlic
  69. 2 med OR 3 sm zucchini, trimmed & cut into 1/2" pieces
  70. 1/2 c (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  71. 1 green onion, chopped
  72. 1/4 c olive oil
  73. Seasoned salt & garlic pepper to taste
  74. Blend basil, walnuts & garlic in food processor fitted w metal blade until finely chopped. Add zucchini, Parmesan & green onion; process until chopped. Add oil & process until mixture is finely chopped. Season to taste w salt & garlic pepper. Transfer to a glass or plastic container, cover tightly & refrigerate. Makes about 2 c.
  75. GREEN OLIVE PESTO
  76. 1 1/2 c firmly packed drained pimiento-stuffed green olives, rinsed & well drained
  77. 1/3 c pine nuts, toasted
  78. 1 garlic clove, cut up
  79. 1 tbl drained capers
  80. 1 c packed fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley OR basil leaves
  81. 3 tbl basil leaves (if using parsley)
  82. 1/4 c extra-virgin olive oil
  83. 2 tbl freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  84. In food processor fitted w a metal blade, process olives, pine nuts, garlic, capers & parsley until finely chopped. With motor running, add oil in a stream & cheese; blend well. Cover & chill until serving. Makes about 1 3/4 c.
  85. THREE-HERB PESTO
  86. 2/3 c firmly packed fresh basil leaves
  87. 2/3 c firmly packed fresh mint leaves
  88. 2/3 c firmly packed fresh parsley leaves
  89. 1/3 c pine nuts
  90. 1/3 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  91. 2 lg cloves garlic, minced & mashed to a paste w 1/2 tsp salt
  92. 1/2 c olive oil
  93. 1 tbl balsamic vinegar OR to taste
  94. In blender or food processor, puree all ingredients until smooth. Add salt & pepper to taste. Keep refrigerated in a jar w a tight-fitting lid. Let pesto come to room temperature before using. Makes about 1 c.
  95. Alfredo Pesto
  96. 1/4 c. fresh basil leaves
  97. 1/3 c. walnuts
  98. 2 cloves garlic
  99. 3 tbsp. olive oil
  100. 1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
  101. 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
  102. 8 oz. fettucine, cooked
  103. Finely chop basil, walnuts, and garlic in food processor. Gradually add olive oil while machine is running and process until smooth. Mix in 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese. Transfer the pesto to a small jar. (Pesto can be prepared 3 days in advance. Pour enough olive oil over sauce to cover. Cover and refrigerate.) Bring cream to slight boil in medium saucepan. Be careful not to burn the cream. Once cream begins to boil, whisk in pesto. Season sauce with remaining 1/4 c. Parmesan in large bowl. Toss to coat pasta evenly and serve. Serves: 2 Serving size: 1 1/2 c. Consider adding chicken or shrimp to this dish.

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Comments


Michelle:
Wow, you do have wonderful pesto recipes. Thanks for the great post! I'll never have to look again for these possibilities. I wish I could give you a 10 instead of a 5!


Love pesto! Although I make basil pesto all the time, I've never tried any of these others but I will! Thanks!


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