Pesto

I mentioned before in my post about "Pizzadillas" my affection for pesto sauce. I love that garlic-y spread and usually eat enough of it to ward off a vampire attack whenever we have it in the house.  So it could be dangerous that I learned how to make it.

I used a large bunch of parsley and some fresh chives from our herb garden, along with some garlic scapes from the farmer's market, green onions, unsalted almonds, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil.  This was a great way to use more of the garlic scapes and our fresh herbs.

Start by finely pulsing the almonds in a food processor.

Rinse off the herbs.  It helps if you have this handy spin-dryer that The Mrs registered for when we got married.

Next add your herbs, cheese, and garlic. Attach the lid, and drizzle in olive oil through the opening at the top until you achieve the right consistency.

I should tell you (warts and all) that I seasoned mine with salt and pepper and used WAY too much salt. It was nearly inedible. This is usually a cardinal sin in any cooking competition we watch on TV. But this brings me to a nice lesson: always taste your food before serving it.  Thankfully I was able to fix it by adding lemon juice and sour cream to counter-act all that salt. I also went out and got more parsley and chives to help.

After I thought I had ruined my pesto, I was relieved to find that my wife thought it tasted good. I had it on some toast to serve with a great seafood pasta I'll be posting soon.  Now I have to be sure to ration the rest so I don't eat it all right away.