Arduous Arugula Pesto Recipe
Arugula provides an excellent source of folate, vitamins A and C, vitamin K, calcium, magnesium, and manganese. If you and/or your family members don't like leafy greens (yet), maybe we can get you to eat more of it by making it into a pesto.
Pesto has a few main ingredients: young green leaves, nuts, cheese, and oil. Traditionally, an Italian pesto is made with basil, pine nuts, parmigiano regiano and pecorino cheese, and olive oil.
This pesto inspired sauce can be used for many things. You will ingredient need
➣ about 2 tightly packed cups of green leaves (arugula, spinach, baby kale, etc.),
➣ 1/4 cup of nuts (almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, etc.) Please taste your nuts before you grind them. Walnuts and almonds can be bitter. You may want to soak walnuts and almonds in warm water for 30-45 minutes to make it easier to remove their skin before grinding them since the skin is what causes most of the bitter taste.
➣ 1-2 peeled clove2 of garlic
➣ about 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
➣ 2-4 ounces of cheese (optional)
If you have a large mortar and pestle and some free time, great! You will get your arm workout done. If you don't have a mortar and pestle, we'll use your food processor or blender.
Pound and grind your nuts in your mortar to a coarse powder.
Add the garlic and continue to pound the items with the pestle. Add the leaves in batches with some salt, depending on the size of your mortar and pestle. The salt helps to break down the leaves while you are pounding. Once you have a uniform paste, slowly stir in the oil.
If you are using a blender or food processor, roughly chop the leaves and add them and the garlic, salt and your green leaves and the pinch of salt and continue to grind for another few minutes or process until the leaves have broken down. Add oil and stir. Taste and adjust salt as needed. This pesto inspired sauce is delicious on anything, eggs, bread, chicken, fish, meat, beans. Add it to your grilled cheese sandwich! Toss it with pasta or use it instead of ketchup on your fries!!
