Winter Pesto Recipes

WINTER PESTO

Steps:

• Mince and mash the garlic to a paste with salt.
• In a processor or blender, puree spinach with parsley, oil, walnuts, Parmesan, fennel and garlic paste.
• The pesto keeps, covered with a thin film of olive oil and chilled, up to 2 weeks.
• This makes enough to use with up to 2 ½ lbs of pasta.

LINGUINE WITH WINTER PESTO

Steps:

• Combine first 6 ingredients in processor and blend to coarse puree. Blend in cheese using on/off turns. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Transfer pesto to jar. Pour enough additional oil over pesto to cover completely. Cover and refrigerate. Pour off extra oil before using.)
• Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain well. Return to same pot. Add pesto sauce and toss to coat pasta evenly. Transfer to large platter. Garnish with chopped pine nuts.

WINTER PESTO

Steps:

• Combine the sunflower seeds and pressed or finely minced garlic in a food processor till crumbly, just slightly chopped. If you have a mini-food processor, it's terrific here!
• Add the parsley and thyme and blend to make it sort of pasty. With the processor still going, drizzle in the oil, and add the salt and pepper. Add a little water to achieve a creamier consistency.
• Freezes very well. Use like basil pesto. I especially like this thinly spread on bread, with tahini and lemin juice.