I knew this food processor would be fun.
As The Princess said the other day when I started getting the ingredients out to make pesto, “How is this thing any different than a blender, really?”
Pfft.
I kind of figured pesto wasn’t that difficult to make – I mean, shoot, the ingredients are simple: basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil and some salt and pepper (this recipe varies slightly from the one I used – in that it uses Pecorino instead of Parmesan, but, the proportions are the same, so… have at it).
Basically, you toss everything into the food processor, pulse it up nice and pretty and BAM. Done.
I’ll never buy store bought pesto again. Store bought pesto tastes oily and gross and just… too salty. I love having the control over what goes in, how much. And as much as I love garlic, I miiiiiight reduce the garlic next go round.
Yes. That red lid is from the parmesan cheese. I didn’t buy fresh parmesan. I went the lazy way and bought the pre-shredded stuff because I can’t find my cheese grater and I wasn’t sure if the processor would process it or if it would leave cheese clumps and cheese clumps, that doesn’t sound yummy. Well, to me anyway.
Now that you have your pesto, what can you do with it? Obviously, you can put it on pasta.
What did I do with it? I made a basic pizza dough (from scratch. This is one of my favorite uses for my breadmaker – if you are inept with yeast doughs, your breadmaker does the whole thing while you sit on the couch and watch the Michigan/Michigan State game). I rolled the dough onto a pizza pan, spread a thin layer of pesto on it (remember that oil in your pesto? You’re not gonna want a ton on your pizza), threw on some mozzarella and some parmesan cheese (there’s already parm in your pesto also, so think of the saltiness factor when you’re adding it to the toppings), and then sprinkled some browned Italian sausage on top of that. Bake until the dough is not gross and the cheese is nice and golden. Voila. Delish.
Hey. I’m totally learning how to cook. Who’d have thought?
Don’t like pizza? Here are some more ideas for what you can make with your pesto – fifty ideas, to be exact.
About sarah
I love pesto!! I’ve made it home before and I agree, it’s much better than store bought. I just wish pine nuts weren’t so spendy. I love the flavor they add.
Good job Sarah ! 🙂