The principles of pesto are all the same: garlic and nuts, hard cheese and extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, and the greens, traditionally basil, as in Basil Pesto. We grow our own basil because it's better, and cheaper, and after washing and drying the leaves, they are easily stored in freezer bags. But we inevitably run out, usually by Christmas, and then we have found that baby spinach is an acceptable substitute, which is just fine, because spinach is a super food.
And you can make other substitutions as well. For the traditional pine nuts, try walnuts, another super food, or almonds. And for the traditional Parmesan cheese, which should be grated from a solid wedge, you can substitute Pecorino Romano, to liven up what the spinach loses from fragrant basil. If you're adventurous, experiment with other greens, like Italian flat leaf parsley. I've even done it with dill! Whew!
At any rate, spinach, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and nuts are all super foods, combined in a neat and delicious little package. Use it on some whole grain pasta, or in my famous Basil Pesto Sockeye Pie (recipe forthcoming!).
Basil Pesto (Baby Spinach Pesto)
2 cups fresh basil leaves, lightly packed (or baby spinach)
3 cloves garlic
.5 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or Pecorino Romano)
.75 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 T pine nuts, or blanched almonds (or walnuts if you like)
1.5 t salt
.25 t ground pepper
In your food processor, pulse the garlic and nuts together, then add the salt and pepper and some of the oil and pulse some more. Then add some of the basil and cheese and more of the oil and pulse. Continue until everything has been added, and pulse til creamy, but do not pulse minute upon minute because this can make the oil bitter.
Since I use this sauce .5 cup at a time, I immediately freeze the sauce in little Glad containers of that size, and defrost it gently on the counter before I cook.
