Pesto Two Ways: Pistachio & Sun-dried Tomato Pesto and Walnut-Olive Pesto

 Pesto is probably my favorite sauce to use, but that wasn't always the case. For the longest time, I was repelled by the dish everytime I saw it at a restaurant. Pasta dishes were usually drenched in so much oil that they resembled soups. It wasn't until I made it at home once that I realized it can be a healthy but satisfying sauce. Nowadays, I don't just use pesto on pasta. I top fish with it. I make a chicken salad from it. I put it on my eggs. If I see a fresh bunch of basil, you bet I'm going to make a batch of pesto and save it in the fridge.

A traditional pesto uses fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil. Even though I love pine nuts, they are harder to find, a lot more expensive, and do not really keep well. I was out of them as usual the other day but I had a lot of bright green pistachios in my pantry, so I decided to use those instead. While the pine nut flavor is very mild, pistachios have a more distinctive and nutty flavor. Sun dried tomatoes add a touch of sweetness to balance out the nuts and the saltiness of the cheese. This is a quick meal you can make any time of the day.

 

Enough with the pistachio...let's move on to walnuts. I've had walnut pesto crostinis on my mind ever since I had it at a wine bar. I was set on how I was going to make it until I spotted the olives in my pantry. Olive tapenade is one of my all time favorite snacks, and I started debating if I should make that instead until I realized I shouldn't have to give up on either one! Ta-da walnut pesto and olive tapenade combined in a single dip for you. This is just amazing. I think I ate half a baguette just to make sure the recipe was good enough for you guys. Grab a bottle of red wine, and you're all set.

Pistachio Basil Pesto:

Ingredients:

1/4 cup shelled pistachios
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup chopped olive packed sun dried tomatoes
2 packed cups fresh basil leaves
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Pulse the pistachios, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the basil, and pulse until chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the oil until the pesto comes together. Add the cheese, salt, and pepper and pulse.

If you are serving it with pasta: Cook the pasta until al dente. Combine with the pesto in a bowl. Thin with a little bit of pasta water if needed. Top with freshly grated parmesan, and chopped pistachios.

You can top fish or veggies with the pesto as well.

Walnut-Olive Pesto:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup walnuts
1 large garlic clove
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup pitted mixed black olives
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt (depending on how salty the olives are)

Directions:

Pulse the walnuts, and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the parsley, and olives, and pulse until chopped. With the machine running, gradually add the oil until the pesto comes together. Add the lemon zest, salt, and pepper and pulse.

Serve with crusty bread, and some feta cheese.

Dessert Party

I invited my girlfriends over recently to catch up and to watch a certain movie where Channing Tatum, along with a few other gentlemen, take their shirts off. Since my girlfriends and I usually are quick to skip to dessert, I figured that this gathering would involve around just sweets (ok maybe one savory dish, but only because I came across a cute mini mac and cheese recipe). There was an abundance of pink bubbly (ok a lot), cute little meringues made by my trusted sous chef, and mini brownies brought by my other fellow baker. I may have gone over the top and baked a whole red velvet cake, along with mini cheesecakes with caramel sauce, and rice krispies with marshmallows. And not to forget popcorn with white chocolate and sprinkles to pop in your mouth during those scenes where everyone was just screaming at the tv. Two of my girlfriends arrived early and while waiting for me to finish up, took it upon themselves to create name cards for all the dishes and arrange all the platters. Sometimes all you need to is some sugar, a DVD, and an abundance of your best girlfriends to have an amazing night.