Arugula Pesto

I had some leftover arugula recently (more on why in my next post).  I also have a ton of pecans in my freezer, thanks to a recent longing for pecans (that resulted in an online purchase of authentic Texas pecans) and a subsequent trip to see my grandfather, who gave us even better pecans.  I even had parmesan in the fridge.  So, I decided the best way to avoid wasting the arugula was to make some pesto.

I was incredulous when I first read that you could make pesto with herbs other than basil, but I’ve since become a huge fan of non-arugula pesto.  Arugula has a slightly peppery taste that I enjoy, which sets arugula pesto apart from the basil kind.

This goes well with pasta, pizzas, really anything for which you’d use basil pesto – I like to pair it with a baked potato and a little white cheese.

Arugula Pesto

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks’ Recipe for Basil Pesto; makes approximately 1 cup pesto depending on the amount of olive oil used and the amount of arugula in the bunch

• 1 small bunch of arugula
• 3 medium cloves of garlic
• 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan
• small handful of pecans or walnuts
• 3 – 4 TBSP of extra-virgin olive oil

Wash the arugula and remove the stems.  Chop the arugula roughly.  Peel the garlic cloves.

Place the arugula, garlic, and pecans or walnuts into the bowl of a food processor.  This is one occasion where a smaller food processor works better, so that you don’t have to constantly open the food processor and push the ingredients around with a spoon (Side note: please only open the food processor and push stuff around when the food processor is unplugged.  I know they all have safety mechanisms to prevent the food processors from operating with the top off, but you can never be too careful!  Okay, paranoid-lady talk over).

Pulse until all of the ingredients are in tiny little bits and are well-mixed.  Add the Parmesan 1/4 cup at a time, pulsing twice after each addition.  Add the olive oil, tablespoon by tablespoon, pulsing several times after each addition.  Add enough olive oil that the pesto looks solid but completely blended; if you have not added enough oil, the ingredients will not stay together.  If the pesto is still not well-mixed, pulse a few more times.

Store in the refrigerator.  If using with pasta, you may need to add some pasta water to the pasta to thin the pesto, about 1/4 cup of pasta water for a whole box of pasta and a tablespoon if you are only making 1 – 2 servings.

You can also freeze pesto, but you have to thaw it completely or reheat it very, very gradually.