pesto universale

In my humble opinion, tofu is a lot like chicken in the sense that it doesn’t really taste like much to write home about, until you add some kind of sauce or spice. So part of the challenge of this cookbook is coming up with sauces, creams, and spice variations that can be applied to both meat and soy alike. Phase one of this endeavor began last week, in which I whipped up a sun dried tomato and basil pesto, which was inspired by one of Giada’s episodes on Food Network. (Recipe follows.) I first tried this pesto on chicken, which was a hit. The next step will be to try it on tofu, or maybe tempeh.

Please note, the photos are via my awful digital camera. Note to self: must get photographer omni boyfriend to help with blog, asap.

Today, on the other hand, I realized that there was an abundance of spinach in the fridge. I remember seeing Rachel Ray make spinach pesto once, and I decided that it couldn’t be a bad idea.

I need to test these recipes a few times before they become hard staples in dishes for the cookbook, but I am hoping that readers (hello, are you out there?) might want to help out with the experimentation bit. Here are the recipes.

Sun Dried Tomato & Basil Pesto

You will need…

• 1 cup sun dried tomatoes from jar
• 2 garlic cloves, halved
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/4 cup fresh parmesan
• salt, pepper
• 1-1/2 tbsp reserved oil from tomato jar

Method…

Add sun dried tomatoes, basil, and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until it is a thick paste. Slowly drizzle in oil until it reaches the consistency you want. Stir in parmesan, salt, pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until you want to use!

Spinach Pesto

You will need…

• 1/4 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 2 cups fresh spinach leaves, packed
• 1 clove garlic, halved
• salt, pepper
• 2 tbsp fresh parmesan
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method…

Add spinach, walnuts, and garlic into the food processor. Pulse to a thick paste. Slowly drizzle in oil. Stir in salt, pepper, cheese. Cover and refrigerate!

Next up: what to DO with all this pesto?!