COLUMN: Add a little zest to your pesto
I don’t know about you, but when it comes to shopping, I’m the kind of person that sees something I like, looks at the price tag and thinks “I could totally make this for a fraction of the price, and it would be way cooler, anyway.” I also do this with food, sometimes. Like when I see something that looks really great on the menu at some expensive restaurant, I’ll scribble down the ingredients on a napkin and then try to recreate the dish, later, at home.
I tried this trick with pesto, and I am here to tell you it is definitely one of these things — one of those things that you can totally make for a fraction of the price it’s selling for at the grocery store, and one of those things that you definitely don’t have to go to a fancy restaurant to enjoy. Why? It takes less than five minutes to make, it’s almost impossible to mess up and even a college student could afford the ingredient list.
In case you don’t know, pesto is an Italian sauce that is traditionally made with fresh basil, parmesan cheese, garlic and olive oil. I like to add spinach to mine because it makes the flavor a bit milder, and, let’s be honest, spinach is a lot more affordable than fresh basil. If you want to, you can make this recipe more traditional by replacing the 3 ounces of spinach with basil (use 4 ounces of basil total). If you do that I would recommend trying to get your basil fresh from a friend or family member’s herb garden, or the local Gardener’s Market, because it will be cheaper and much more flavorful.
Pesto is also amazingly versatile. Once you get used to having it in the freezer, I think you’ll start to see how much potential it has. It can be used as a sauce on pizzas. It can be mixed with mayonnaise to make a pesto-mayo spread for sandwiches. You can dip crusty Italian breads in it. You can scoop a little bit on top of a steaming bowl of your favorite soup and stir it in to add some extra flavor.
Spinach Basil Pesto
3 big handfuls (about 3 ounces) fresh baby spinach leaves
15-20 fresh basil leaves (about 1 ounce)
1 medium clove garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
¼ cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
In the bowl of a food processor combine all of the ingredients and pulse until completely chopped and smooth. (You can also use a blender.)
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week or freeze for up to three months.
You can also make individual portion sizes that can be easily pulled out and reheated on some pasta or a sandwich, for a quick and healthy lunch. Just freeze the pesto in an ice cube tray, store the frozen pesto cubes in a zip-tight bag and pull one or two out as needed.
This recipe makes 1 heaping cup of pesto — about 10 ounces.
One of my favorite ways to use this recipe is on a pizza with artichokes, because I love the classic flavor combination of spinach and artichokes.
Spinach Pesto Pizza with Artichokes and Pine Nuts
1 (1 pound) pizza crust dough
½ cup spinach basil pesto
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ artichoke hearts, roughly chopped (you can use canned or frozen)
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
Prebake the crust for 2 to 3 minutes — according to the instructions of the brand recipe — just until it gets slightly firm.
Remove the crust from the oven and with a rubber spatula spread the pesto over it to form an even layer. (You may want to use a little more or less pesto, according to the size of your crust.)
Sprinkle with the cheese, then add the artichoke hearts and pine nuts.
Finish baking until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Makes 1 medium-sized pizza.
— Jennelle Clark is a senior, psychology major who runs the online food blog foodislikeart.blogspot.com. She loves making and eating food, and sharing food.