Almond Pesto
The freshness of aromatic basil is so pleasing. I mean, who can resist taking a good long whiff when passing by the herb section in the supermarket? When I buy basil, I usually get two bunches because I know I’ll always find a use for this fragrant plant. I’ll add the picked leaves to salads, toss them with toasted walnuts and sauteed zucchini, and, of course, make copious amounts of pesto. The pesto is just as versatile as the basil itself and can be tossed into pasta with huge shavings of parmesan cheese and picked leftover rotisserie chicken, slathered onto whole grain toast with thick slices of fresh tomato, rolled into fresh pizza dough and baked off for appetizing Pesto Pizza Rolls, or tossed with warm fingerling potatoes dotted with green peas.
The thing about pesto is that you can make it all kinds of ways. Traditionally it consists of basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, and extra virgin olive oil. I usually leave the cheese out so Chloe, who is vegan, can enjoy it too. But to be honest, it’s just as good even without the dairy. You can switch out the nuts with almonds, which I have done in this recipe, walnuts, or hazelnuts. Just be sure to toast them off in the oven at 375F for a few minutes, cool to room temperature, and rub off most of the skins with a kitchen towel before adding them to the food processor. To skip this step, buy the nuts already toasted. The basil can also be substituted with a combination of parsley and cilantro or with peppery baby arugula. In fact, the combination of arugula and toasted walnuts is divine!
No matter which combination you go with, make sure to use high-quality extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)… don’t forget to have a little taste to make sure it isn’t rancid. Too often I see people receive beautiful bottles of artisanal olive oils as gifts, which they save for that “special occasion”. Don’t wait!! Use the good silver; use the fancy china; use up that artisanal olive oil – every day is a “special occasion”.
Almond Pesto
Yield: 1 cup
Pesto is traditionally made with parmesan and pine nuts. Here, I have omitted the parmesan and replaced it with a hit of citrus; the pine nuts have been replaced with toasted slivered almonds. If you can’t find slivered almonds that are already toasted, you can pop raw ones on a sheet tray and toast them off at 375F for 4-6 minutes, tossing midway. They should be slightly golden and fragrant. Cool them to room temperature before adding them to the food processor. If you don’t like almonds, use walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts. Just be sure to toast them off for maximum flavor. And… if you don’t have basil, try using parsley and cilantro or baby arugula. Switch it up!
4 oz fresh basil
1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
½ lemon – juice
2 small garlic cloves
¾ tsp kosher salt
1/3 cup evoo – the good stuff!
1. Add basil leaves, almonds, lemon juice, garlic cloves, and salt to a food processor and blend until course.
2. Add evoo and blend until you get a finer consistency – chunky or fine, it’s up to you.
3. Taste and adjust the salt and lemon juice to your liking.
