Tag Archives: pine nuts

Herbed Pesto

My grandfather mentioned to me the other day the weather report mentioned it was going to freeze in the next few nights. Right away, I realized I still had to pick a few herbs and rhubarb out of the garden before they were destroyed by the frost.

If you plant a garden you know, you put to much time into it not to preserve the harvest for enjoyment for the winter months. Ironically,  I just used up my last frozen batch about a week ago for some pasta. This recipe freezes really well. I like to freeze it in silicone 1 ounce ice cube trays, it makes for easy use for sauces, soups, and marinating meat.

Recipe Yields : 21 ounces

6 cups of fresh basil, packed

2 cups of fresh parsley, packed

1 cup of lightly toasted pine-nuts

1 cup of freshly grated Romano Locatelli D.O.C. cheese

1/2 of one large lemon juiced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated Black pepper

14 small fresh cloves of garlic (ours are small from our garden)

1 cup of extra-virgin olive oil:

1. Place all the ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor. Pulse until pureed.

2. Drizzle of olive oil while the food processor is pulsing.

3. Enjoy on some crackers, homemade bread, pizza, or pasta!

Spring Pesto Pasta with Asparagus and Pine Nuts


If you are looking for a dinner that can be ready in 15 minutes than you have found the right recipe. Bonus you can make this entire dish in one pot! Whenever I’m in a hurry or in a pinch pasta is my go to for a quick and fast dinner. 

Asparagus is a spring vegetable packed with a lot of nutrition. Since this vegetable is in season right now you can get a pretty affordable deal at the market! I know our local farmers market has it fresh from the garden. 

Asparagus is rich in Vitamin K and also folate. Asparagus is also a good source of fiber. There are many colors of asparagus; however, the well know green asparagus is the most common variety, but you can also find white, & purple spears as well. 

Yields 4-6 servings 

Ingredients:

2 cups dry rotini (I used dreamfields)

1/2 tsp salt

3 oz of pesto ( I used my freezer stock from last season)

1 pound of fresh asparagus ( 2 inch segments)

1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to package. During the last minute of boiling add the cut asparagus. Strain the pasta and asparagus. 

2. Add the noodles and asparagus back into the pan and add the pesto, salt and pine nuts. Use a spatula to mix the ingredients together and enjoy!