the best pesto ever.

It's true. I've always loved pesto, but honestly have never really been impressed with any I've had at restaurants and usually just stick to the dried kind when I make it at home.

Not anymore. I've discovered the best pesto ever.

Of course I searched all over the web (and even my measly collection of cookbooks) for a good pesto recipe but, as my searches usually do, ended up at my go-to: Allrecipes.com

I was wary of this particular recipe because some of the reviewers stated it was very 'earthy' in taste due to the amount of spinach. But, I followed the recipe almost exactly - and it was perfection. 

I'll cover the recipe, but you can also read it (and it's reviews) here: Spinach Basil Pesto 

Step 1: Toast 1/2 cup of Pine Nuts. I put mine in a small pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until they're a nice golden brown color (okay, I burnt a few - just picked those out).

Step 2: Combine Pine Nuts in a food processor with the following ingredients:

             1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves

             3/4 cup fresh basil 

             1/2 cup grated parmesan

             4 small cloves garlic, quartered

             3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

             1/2 teaspoon black pepper

             1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

             1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (I left out)

             1/2 cup olive oil

I found it's best to combine these and then stick in the refrigerator for a few hours before serving over hot pasta. The recipe also suggests pouring into an ice cube tray and freezing for future use. You could also use this pesto for a million other things like chicken, shrimp, on a pizza or garlic bread.

Anyways, easy as pie! And superbly delicious. I vow to never buy dried or jared pesto again, this is just too easy and too yummy to pass up. Enjoy. 

In other news....next week's menu (or this week's rather) is a work in progress.