Arugula Pesto

Last week I was one of the last members to make the pickup before the bells rang at noon. As a result, my options for picking the biggest and brightest produce were greatly diminished. I had read about hail storms damaging crops and creating tiny holes in the leaves of greens; some of the items seemed effected (anyone verify?). While the damage is only aesthetic, the produce did not appeal to me raw. The solution came to me in the form of a suggestion from Aya:

Arugula Pesto

• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
• 4 cups fresh basil or parsley or arugula, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 garlic clove
• coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread pin nuts or walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until golden and fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool completely.
2. In food processor, combine nuts, basil, parsley, or arugula, Parmesan, and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Process until finely chopped. With the machine running, pour olive oil in a steady stream through feed tube; process until smooth. (I skipped the two parts and blended it all at once. Seemed to work as well.)


Much nicer. Best of all it's freezable which means you can save it for January.