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Pesto Sauce Ideas Fresh pesto is so easy to make. If you have never had it fresh from the garden you will not believe the flavor difference. Plus this is a great way to use up extra herbs. The classic basil pesto below is probably what you are most acquainted with. However, there are many variations you can apply to the basic pesto. Just a small dollop of sauce turns a ho-hum dish into a meal. Pesto goes especially well with fish and of course in pasta. Pesto will turn dark within minutes if you do not add lemon juice. It keeps for some time in the frig and can easily be made a day or two ahead or frozen.
Servings: 4 to 8
Prep time: 10 min
Cooking time: none 
Directions Place all of the ingredients except the EVOO and cheese in the food processor bowl. Turn on and add the EVOO in a stream until it is nicely blended, this may require scraping down the sides and pulsing again. Add grated cheese if you desire and pulse to incorporate into the sauce. Alternative Recipe Ideas The matrix below shows the variety of ingredients you can use in a pesto sauce. Use the recipe for measurement guidelines. Pick an item from each column. Go wild mix and match! Select an ingredient from each of the first three columns and add all of the ingredients from the "Other" column. Make it just as you would in the Basil Pesto Recipe listed above. TIP: toasted nuts will UP the wow factor. Spread on baking sheet, roast 7-9 minutes at 350 degrees. Stir occasionally. Walnuts are a good source of omega-3. You can vary the nut and cheese amount considerably depending on what you are using the sauce for and how strong you like it. Example: Black walnuts are much stronger than the other nuts, you may want to cut back to a few tsp. If you are using the sauce as a dollop on top of say fish you want it to be firm. For a pasta sauce use more EVOO and make it much thinner.
Return to Recipe Index This recipe brought to you by Chef Gary from Rocky Creek Valley Farm |