Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Herb Recipes - Pesto Sauce & Grilled Peppers


Week three and I've put my herbs in a sunny window. They still look scrawny. I'm going to plant in bigger pots on the weekend. I've planted:

- Basil
- Parsley
- Tarragon
- Thyme

Thought it would be a good idea to post a recipe or two, in which you can use those wonderful herbs! One of my favourites is Pesto Sauce, using fresh basil and parsley.

Pesto Sauce
Serves 4

3 medium garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil leaves, washed and patted dry
1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup pine nuts, lightly toasted in a dry skillet*
1/2 cup best quality olive oil
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt
Lots of freshly ground black pepper

Combine garlic, basil, parsley and pine nuts in bowl of food processor or blender. Process, adding oil in a slow, steady stream.

Stop the machine and add cheese, salt and pepper. Turn on machine and process a few seconds to combine. Taste for seasoning, then toss with hot pasta. Serve immediately.

Recommended pasta: 3/4 pound capellini, spaghetti or linguini

* Spread pine nuts in a single layer in an un-oiled heavy skillet. Place on moderate heat and stir occasionally until lightly browned.

Here's another recipe, using peppers and pesto sauce

Grilled Pesto Peppers

* 4 x red peppers
* 2 x large garlic cloves cut into thin slivers
* 4 tbsp olive oil (60ml)
* 3 tbsp pesto (45ml)
* Salt and freshly ground pepper
* 8 x balls of Boccocini cheese, sliced

1. Cut peppers in half lengthways. Scrape out and discard the cores and seeds. Drizzle olive oil, season with salt and pepper and add a few slivers of garlic into the cavity of each pepper.
2. Preheat the grill to 375°F/200°C or medium high heat
3. Place the peppers on the grill, cavity side up, until charred (approximately 3 minutes)
4. Add a spoonful of pesto into each of the peppers and slices of Boccocini cheese.
5. Continue to cook peppers until cheese is melted (approximately 3 minutes).

1 comment:

  1. Good stuff, it's hard to find good articles on how to make stuff like that. You should try posting this on Wacanai.com ( http://www.wacanai.com/intro ). I find most of my stuff there. It's nice because you can search by ingredients and by the name of the finished product. You can link your page to the website and it helps you keep track of who is using your articles. Great list of drink recipes for parties too!

    ReplyDelete

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