Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Discovering new Pesto Sauces and falling in love with the results

So I love hunting for new inspiration of recipes to try and it often takes me to new places of discovery.  The other day I found myself searching through images from a website that I use called Seriouseats.com and I stopped in my tracks when I stumbled upon this incredible recipe.  It was one of those love at first sight situations and I just knew I had to make it.  The best thing about it for me was that all of the ingredients were things that I keep stocked in my pantry on a regular basis.  Which means that this is a simple dish that I can create cheaply because all of the ingredients are on hand. I altered the recipe slightly to make it a much easier dinner to throw together and I am happy to say the result had people scrapping their plates for every last drop. And personally nothing says success better then that.



Artichoke Pesto Pasta
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 can of artichoke hearts; drained
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 large or 2 medium cloves garlic, sliced
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup walnuts

A good handful of fresh basil or parsley leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. whole wheat spaghetti 




Cook the spaghetti for 1 minute less than the pkg directions in salted water and drain, reserving ½ cup of the cooking liquid.

In electric food processor mix the artichoke hearts, garlic, lemon juice, thyme, walnuts and basil.  Slowly add the olive oil until you reach your desired consistency.  You may not have to use all of the 1/4 c. so make sure you scrap the sides of the food processor and mix well in order to determine how much you need. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix in the cheese.




Transfer the artichoke sauce back to the pan (or a large serving bowl) and add the cooked spaghetti.  Mix well, adding some of the pasta cooking water if needed to thin the sauce.

To serve, sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil or parsley.

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