| Arugula Pesto 4 cups packed fresh arugula 1 tablespoon minced garlic Salt and freshly ground pepper 1 cup pure olive oil 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted, plus 1 tablespoon 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl, and bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the arugula in a large sieve and plunge it into the boiling water. Immediately immerse all the arugula and stir so that it blanches evenly. Blanch for about 15 seconds. Remove, shake off the excess water, then plunge into ice bath and stir again so it cools as fast as possible. Drain well. Squeeze the water out of the arugula with your hands until very dry. Roughly chop the arugula and put in a blender. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste, olive oil, 2 tablespoons of pine nuts. Blend for at least 30 seconds. In the way the green of the arugula will thoroughly color the oil. Add the cheese and pulse to combine. The pesto will keep several days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Pull out before dinner to get room temperature. Before serving, add the remaining 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts. |
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