Zesty Pesto Recipe
I am in love with Pesto. Pesto’s were first introduced to me when I was just a young lad and working at Convergys in my youth. I was working in-bound customer service and a lady who’s husband was in the military gave me a recipe for minestrone soup – and it called for a pesto.
At the time, I was a broke college student – and this was a hefty expense. However, the taste was awesome! It had Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and that was fanstastic for the soup. However, I started to experiment with the versatility of this sauce.
I added mint. Now, I am not a great fan of mint on its own. However, combined with the basil – I think it has some fantastic results.
Today, I mix this pesto with pasta and enjoy it as a light and zippy dinner. My favorite way is to combine 2 tablespoons pesto & 1 tablespoon mayo and turn make world class chicken/turkey sandwiches.
I promise you, once you get this puppy down – your culinary life will change for the good! Enjoy!
Recipe:
Zesty Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Cloves garlic peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 cup basil leaves packed
- 1/4 cup mint leaves packed
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper freshly ground
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 350° F. Place your garlic into a foil packet and drizzle with the 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil, close the pouch and allow it to roast for 10 minutes. It should be soft, and fragrant.
- Place the roasted garlic in a food processor or blender and combine the remaining ingredients and buzz until it is puree'd well and has a consistent texture.
- You can put this into jar's and give it to friends. Best is to place in a sealed container and put in the refrigerator and let sit 1 day.
