Rocket (Arugula) Pesto

ROCKET (ARUGULA) PESTO

Peppery rocket pesto is a nice alternative to basil.

Now I love basil pesto just as much as the next person, but every once and a while it’s nice to have  a change. Instead of basil leaves and pine nuts I like to use rocket (arugula) and pecans. The strong peppery taste of rocket with the mellowing effect of the slightly sweet pecans works perfectly together

When you think rocket, the first thing that generally comes to mind is salad. Don’t limit yourself, break free, break free I tell you!

This rocket pecan pesto is great with pasta, meat, fish even rice. Why not use it in a sandwich instead of mayonnaise or mustard.

See the link ‘‘rocket pesto” below for recipe:

ROCKET PECAN PESTO :  ERIKA ALLISTON – Sweet Pea Blog

• 50g rocket (arugula)
• 140mL olive oil
• 1/4 clove crushed garlic
• 30g grated parmesan
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 squeezes of lemon juice
• 70g whole pecans

1. In a blender, combine the rocket & olive oil and pulse till chopped.
2. Add the galic, parmesan, salt & lemon juice, pulse again
3. Add pecans, blend till pesto of desired texture forms

NOTE: if you find the texture of the pesto too thick add a little extra olive oil

Pesto

PESTO : This will be the shortest post known to man! Ok well not quite, but I was about to post the recipe for an avocado, goats cheese & quinoa salad when it occurred to me that it might be useful to have the Basil Pesto recipe first, as it is one of the main ingredients.

This recipe can be easily adapted to different tastes – more or less garlic, with or without parmesan and I add a dash of lemon juice to help keep the bright green colour, as the outer layer seems to oxidize so quickly!

Marisa told me,that when she was a little girl living in Italy, she was given the odious job of having to chop the basil by hand, into a fine paste using only a knife… authentic yes, time efficient no. So I have opted for using the blender and while less romantic it does get the job done.

RECIPE : ERIKA ALLISTON – Sweet Pea Food Blog

• 50 gr fresh basil leaves
• 1 large garlic clove
• 120 ml olive oil
• 25 gr grated parmesan
• 20 gr pine nuts
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• salt & pepper to taste

1. To the blender add 1/2 the olive oil, the basil leaves & crushed garlic. Pulse until the leaves are chopped (see picture above).
2. Add the rest of the olive oil, parmesan, pine nuts, lemon juice salt & pepper. Pulse again, then change to blend, until well mixed.

TOMATO SAUCE

What you didn’t know about true Italian tomato sauce…..

Marisa, the concierge in my office building,  is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Italian cooking.  Born and raised in the small village of Zogno, 4km from San Pellegrino, she grew up with the transitional values of simple & delicious hands on cooking.

At the end of the day when my job is ending and hers is starting, we often spend some time chatting about recipes. She told me that for Italians, the true way of making tomato sauce is with either onions or garlic but never both together. The tomatoes should be very ripe, as that is where the taste comes from and will make or break your sauce.  Removing the skin is also essential, as is a generous quantity of fresh basil and hand chopped garlic.

Marisa feels that people either do not know or have forgotten the real taste of vegetables . They are so overly exposed to the hot house variety, that they wouldn’t know a real, earth grown tomato if it jumped up and bit them.

When she went back to Italy as an expat to visit her relatives they were sure she had fallen into this sad, taste bud challenged group. So they organised a trap. Two tomato salads were made – one with hot house tomatoes grown in water, and the other, with tomatoes grown in the earth, under the Italian sun as nature intended. Unaware of the plot, Marisa was served the first  salad, to which she replied ‘there is something wrong with theses tomatoes’ – winning the hearts & minds of her family, who proudly gave her the real home grown salad to which she replied ‘now these are tomatoes!’ The family honour was saved.

RECIPE for my homemade pasta recipe: Click HERE!!

Recette en FRANCAIS : ici

(Easy tomato sauce for two people)

• 8 tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 laurel (bay) leaf
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine (optional)
• salt & pepper
• Fresh basil leaves (approx. 20 leaves)

1. Finely hand chop the garlic and set aside (Marisa said not to use the garlic mincer!)
2. Prepare the tomatoes. To remove the tomato skins, using a sharp knife make a cross on the bottom of each tomato & drop them into boiling water for max. 2 minutes until the skin starts peeling. Peel off the skin. Chop the tomatoes into small chunks.
3. Heat the oil on low, add garlic & bay leaf. Simmer for a few minutes.
4. Add the white wine, cook for 1 minute.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes, salt & pepper and cook / simmer on low heat for 20-30 mins until most of the excess water has evaporated
6. Finely chop the basil and stir into the cooked sauce.