This is a pretty picture of pesto but not a picture of the actual pesto about which this post is written.
My friends Brandi and Shane are in the middle of adopting their daughters and bringing them home from Ukraine. Adoption in general is pretty expensive. International adoption in particular can really be a strain on a young family’s budget. So, some people decided it would be cool to host a benefit in their honor.
Liza was part of the team organizing everything. They had a meeting where, amongst various other topics, they discussed what food to serve as the dinner. It was decided that there would be a pasta bar with different sauces. Liza volunteered me (notice who volunteered who) to make a pesto sauce because, “Chris makes a really good pesto sauce.”
Now, I should clarify Liza’s ringing endorsement of my pesto-production-prowess. There was this one time that we were having people over, and I decided to make lamb chops and a mint-basil pesto with which to garnish them. That’s it. However, in the mind of my ever-affirming wife, that means that I make a really good pesto sauce.
Anyway, despite the fact that I have never, EVER made a pesto sauce for past, I was more than willing to give it a try. I scoured the internet for pesto recipes (which basically means I went to foodnetwork.com, searched “pesto,” clicked on “Giada De Laurentiis” and scanned the results for something I thought would be easy). I found two I liked the sound of and decided to combine them into one mega-recipe. I made a list of needed ingredients for Liza who was kind enough to volunteer to go to the grocery store for me, and that was that.
Yesterday, the day of the benefit, I sat out to make the sauce. My combined recipe (planned out to be enough sauce for 40 people) called for five 10 ounce packages of frozen spinach. These packages had been thawed but I needed to basically squeeze as much of the moisture from them as I could. I grabbed one of the packages to begin and tore it open. What stared back at me was not frozen spinach but frozen broccoli. In fact, three of my five packages were frozen broccoli.
This was just a slight oversight on Liza’s part, but I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. So, I just pressed forward, throwing all kinds of things together in a food processor, adjusting ingredients as I made each batch and praying that it would turn out okay.
Evidently it did. A number of people have said how much they liked it and some extremely kind and flattering souls have even requested the recipe.
I give all of you this backstory to let you know that I don’t really have a recipe. I started with two from Giada (I love you, Giada), but things only devolved from there. However, I’m going to attempt to give you all the recipe here. I would encourage you, though, to experiment with it yourself until you get what you like.
Primo Pesto
Recipe for 8 servings
Ingredients needed:
- 1 (10 oz.) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed almost dry
- 1 (4 oz.) can artichoke arts, drained
- ½ cup pine nuts
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup fresh parsley, packed down
- ¼ cup fresh basil, packed down
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 4 cloves of garlic, roasted and peeled
1. Toast the pine nuts and almonds in a single layer in a large skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Stir occasionally throughout.
2. In a food processor, combine pine nuts, almonds, parmesan cheese, garlic, artichoke hearts salt and pepper. Pulse blend a few times.
3. Add spinach, basil, parsley and lemon. Blend on low a few moments. Then add chicken broth and blend on high.
4. Slowly pour in the olive oil while continuing to blend until smooth.
5. Serve with pasta, chicken, bread, lamb, whatever.
I hope you enjoy it.
Bon Appetit!
how could there possibly be more parsley than basil? basil is one of 3 main ingredients for all pesto rec.s –
i’m tempted to think this is a mis-type, but after tasting this pesto last night I am happy to be wrong – because this was the best pesto i’ve ever eaten, and I’ve eaten it where they invented it.
Sincerely,
The Pesto Lover
My mother and I thank you for posting this. My mother, because she now has a way to have a neverending supply of Chris’ Pesto. And I, because my mother won’t shut up about it and I can have some peace. And because I didn’t get to have any at the dinner, so now I get to enjoy. Yay!
Prepare thyself to be bombarded. You will return to the blogosphere.
Craig Kinsley´s last [type] ..a new me
Come to Colorado, I’ll take you to a restaurant (thanks for the spelling help Craig Kinsley) whose basil pesto sauce is SO GOOD, you’ll cry.
dear chris,
PLEASE come back to the blogging world. i was just talking to craig about this the other day.
Hey, How’s it going? We really don’t know since you have blogged in MONTHS…
Typo..
since you HAVEN’T blogged in months!!! :}
h3y whats up?? y havent u blogged in many months..??
Where are you???? Still alive???
Ok so A. I read the blog about pesto…currently I am drooling a little, gross I know, but I thought I should tell you it sounds awesome. Also you should blog more because you are good at it!!
B. you should blog more!
You have a LOT to say soooo —start writing!!!
Volta pra escrever!!! Você tem um irmão muito legal!! Abraço!
Ow…porque voce ficou tanto tempo sem escrever! Porque porque porque, só me responda porque!
hahahahaha! Promessa cumprida!!!
Has been awhile
You NEED to let the meanderings out my friend. This is really the first I have ever heard of them but EVERYONE I’ve talked to said they are great. Granted that is only 3 people and they are related to you and probably have some biased toward you. But regardless I still would be inclined to see if there is any merit to their impression of your writings. So don’t just sit there WRITE my friend!
Please blog some more, would very much enjoy reading what you have to say!
More Blogging! You have a gift. Use it. We want you to blog more.
Because Craig is my facebook friend I am begging you to start blogging again! (you never know when I might need a favor in return)
Mmmmmm… pesto! Do you have an awesome guacamole recipe? Or do you stick with food that isn’t served in Mexican restaurants? I have to make a mean, ferocious, life altering dip to prove to Wesley Whetstone (yes, I’m calling him out) that mine–or your’s (is he ever really going to know?)–is better than his. So yes, I don’t know you but you should definitely blog more. Okay? Okay. Good.
Hi, you don’t know me but I have followed your “interesting” brother for a few years now. lol And as you blogged something and he reposted it I would read. The last one I read was about The missy dog. Amd this seems to be around the time you stopped blogging. If i am wrong then I am sorry…but that story really touched my life. To hear about this amazing animal that God blessed you with. How one of God’s creatures can bring out such an intence love is an amazing thing. Then to have a person who can clearly write tell us about it is also kinda amazing. Very few people can put their hearts and minds to paper the way you did. Here’s my thought… if a story about a beloved dog could touch my heart so much what would a story about how you changed the culture with one word and how you changed a person’s life by that one word would change the life of others that read it. Just a thought…
blog it up!
Wow—I agree with Taffy Reid–well said!