Spinach Pine Nut Feta Stuffed Focaccia W Basil Arugula Pesto Recipes

BASIL-ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• Place 1/2 cup oil and next 6 ingredients in processor. Process to thick paste. With motor running, add remaining 1/4 cup oil and 2 tablespoons water to processor. Blend until smooth. Season pesto to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Pour thin layer of oil over pesto; cover and chill.)

SPINACH AND FETA-STUFFED FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450°.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and garlic; sauté 1 minute.
• Add half of spinach; cook 1 minute or until spinach wilts.
• Add remaining spinach; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until spinach wilts.
• Remove from heat; stir in feta and next 6 ingredients (through pepper).
• Place dough on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; pat dough into a 15 x 12-inch rectangle.
• Spread spinach mixture lengthwise over half of dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
• Fold other half of dough over filling; press edges together with a fork.
• Cut 5 (1-inch) diagonal slits in top of dough.
• Combine milk and water; brush evenly over dough.
• Sprinkle with Parmesan.
• Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until golden.

BASIL, SPINACH AND ARUGULA PESTO

Steps:

• For the garlic confit. Heat 1/2 cup of the olive oil in a small pan over low heat until warm. Add garlic cloves and cook until very soft, about 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic cloves, reserving both cloves and oil.
• For the pesto: Have a large bowl of ice water ready. In a small pot over high heat, bring 4 cups of water to a boil, and blanch basil or chervil until tender, about 30 seconds. Remove with slotted spoon and transfer to ice water. Place spinach and arugula in boiling water until bright green and tender, about a minute. Drain well and transfer to ice water. When greens are well chilled, drain well, place in a kitchen towel, and squeeze as hard as possible to remove excess moisture.
• In a blender, combine half the garlic cloves, half of the garlic cooking oil, half of the blanched greens (basil or chervil, spinach, and arugula), half of the hazelnuts and half of the ricotta salata. Blend five minutes.
• Add the remaining garlic cloves, garlic cooking oil, blanched greens, hazelnuts and ricotta salata. Blend, adding 1/4 cup additional olive oil, or more as needed, for two to five minutes, to make a thick but pourable pesto. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Blend one minute more. If desired, serve over hot linguini or other pasta.

SPINACH-BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread out the walnuts on a small rimmed baking sheet and roast in oven for about 12 minutes, giving them a shake after 6 minutes. Continue roasting until golden brown and toasted. Set aside and allow to cool thoroughly.
• Fill a large stockpot three-quarters full with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl half way up with ice and water and set close to the sink.
• Dump the spinach and basil into the boiling water and stir. After 1 minute, strain the greens, and plunge them into the bowl with ice water. Drain the greens again and squeeze them tightly to get as much water out as possible. Chop the greens roughly.
• Combine the greens and walnuts with the salt, olive oil and Parmesan in a food processor and process until a smooth consistency is reached. Taste and season with additional salt, if desired.