Did you know that pesto means paste? It’s not just limited to basil plus all of those yummy aromatic ingredients like garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan and olive oil. I didn’t realize this either, until I read Mark Bittman’s recent article the NYT.
So, that means practically anything can be transformed into “pesto”. Think arugula, sun-dried tomato, spinach, and even asparagus.
Given that it takes all of five minutes to make, pesto is a great staple to keep at hand. Every time I whip up a batch of pesto, I find that I’m always opening up the fridge to sprinkle, stir or melt it into my meals throughout the week. A love to stir it into warm pasta, dollop it on grilled chicken, spread it on sandwich bread, and – yes – just sneak a spoonful straight into my mouth.
dI also find that it is a good way to use arugula or spinach that may be on it’s last leg (i.e. not crisp enough for a salad, but perfectly fine ground into a paste).
Now that I know there is a whole world of pesto awaiting me, I’m dying to try some different varieties like 101 Cookbook’s Broccoli Pesto, Local Lemon’s Asparagus Pesto, and Giada’s Sun-dried Tomato Pesto, Country Living’s Parsley-Walnut Pesto, of course there is my recipe for Arugula Pesto Potato Salad.
*Image compliments of Vegalicious.
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I’ve been using it as a “dressing” on quinoa! Yum!
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