Basil Saffron Parmesan Pesto

With basil in season, I wanted to make my first batch of pesto for 2010. Wanting to please my readers with something different, I found this obscure little version deep in my files. I'll tell you what -- I was worried when I went to taint my beautiful pesto with these unusual ingredients. Saffron? Turmeric??

Ultimately, I think the turmeric really brightened up the color of the pesto in an interesting way. The saffron didn't add anything to the taste, in my opinion, so I'm not sure I would recommend using your saffron in this way. (Unless you just wanted to say, "Oh yes, I use saffron in my pesto.") It could be that my saffron was too old to add much to this dish. I did take care to infuse the saffron in the boiling water separate from the pesto before adding the whole thing to the food processor.

Note - originally, this recipe called for 2 tsp of salt, which I used when putting this together. That was way too much salt. It wasn't so much salt that you couldn't eat it, but, why use that much? I've reduced to 1/2 tsp. Alternatively, you could prepare the pesto without salt and just season at the table.

Basil Saffron Parmesan Pesto
Vegetarian Times

2 c basil, fresh
3/4 c olive oil
1/4 c Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
10-12 strands saffron
1 tsp turmeric
2-4 cloves garlic
1/4 c boiling water

Combine everything in food processor and process.

This can be used in a variety of ways, of course. Use as a dipping sauce for bread. Use in pizzas. Use as a spread on sandwiches. I chose to add it to pasta for a quick dinner.

Comments

Chicken Traybake with Roasted Poblano and Tomato Salsa

This dish is delicious! Easy! And, beautiful to look at! The original recipe calls for you to process all the cooked vegetables together into a chunky salsa, but I recommend serving it as is so you have an automatic side dish. The original also calls for cooking chicken bone-in, but, the more I cook traybakes, the more I advocate for slicing chicken into tenders and cooking boneless. Just a safer bake that way because everything comes to the same temperature at the same time. Chicken Traybake with Roasted Poblano and Tomato Salsa Milk Street 1 T chili powder 2 poblano, stemmed, seeded, chopped 1 yellow onion, root end intact, in 8 wedges 1 pint cherry tomatoes 1/4 c olive oil 1 T brown sugar 1 T oregano, dried 3 lb chicken, bone-in, skin-on, trimmed 10 cloves garlic, peeled 1 T vinegar 1/4 c cilantro, chopped Heat oven to 450. In small bowl, stir together chili powder and 2 tsp salt. In large bowl, toss together pobloanos, onion wedges, tomatoes, and 1 T of the chili-power/salt mix

Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles

I love this dish so much that I can barely stand it. Delicious the night it was made, and fantastic as leftovers throughout the week. Mayocoba beans are easily replaced -- try pintos, if you can't find mayocobas. Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles Baptism of Fire 3-4 green chiles, roasted and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 T lard or olive oil 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin pepper 1 c mayocoba beans, dry 3 c water 1 tsp salt Cook the green chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and black pepper in the fat until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit, uncovered, for an hour. You may drain the water to remove some of the slightly indigestible sugars that cause gassiness. If you decide to drain them, add enough water back into the pot to cover the beans with about 2" of water above the beans for cooking. Bring the beans back to a boil and cook, until tender. This will take

Crustless Couscous and Spinach Quiche

This "quiche" is so simple to make - you can prepare everything the night before, assemble it in the morning, and have it ready to go soon after waking up. An ideal dish to serve company, too. Crustless Couscous and Spinach Quiche The Garden of Earthly Delights 1 1/2 c water 3/4 c couscous, uncooked 3 eggs, beaten 1 bunch spinach 3/4 c cottage cheese 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded 3 T salsa 1 tsp chile powder 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/2 tsp oregano, dried 1/2 tsp coarse salt 1/2 tsp pepper Preheat oven to 375. Lightly coat a 9" pie plate with vegetable oil and set aside. In a medium pot, bring water to a boil. Add couscous. Stir once, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer couscous to a large bowl and add remaining ingredients. Spread couscous evenly in the bottom of the pie plate. Placein oven and bake until a knife comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Remove quiche from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Donut Army

Search This Blog