I adore
arugula – I eat it in salads, I put it in sandwiches, I chop it up and put it
on top of pasta instead of parsley... So when I read a tantalizing description
from Antonia and her Daughters by Marlena de Blasi about pesto made with wild
arugula (or rucola, as the Italians call it) – I knew I had to make it.
Now, my
version differs quite a bit from Marlena's. For starters, she made hers using a
mortar and pestle and it had walnuts and just boiled new potatoes.
However,
the first time I decided to make this, I didn't have any walnuts or potatoes
handy. The closest thing I had to either pine nuts (the traditional nut used
with pesto) or walnuts were slivered almonds. So in they went and I have to say
that everything worked fantastically well. I think I might even like it better
than basil pesto. And since I always have arugula on hand, it's a snap to whip
up this dish.
Arugula Pesto
Ingredients:
1 packed
cup of arugula leaves
1 cup
olive oil
1 large
garlic clove (or if warding off vampires, use 3, like I do :))
1/3 cup
slivered almonds
1/2 cup
grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp
lemon juice
1 tsp sea
salt
1. Place
garlic clove, slivered almonds, and parmesan cheese in food processor and pulse
until a rough paste.
2. Add
arugula leaves and pulse until well blended.
3. As the
leaves are blending, slowly stream olive oil and then lemon juice through the
tube and incorporate until smooth.
4. Lastly,
as the entire mixture is blending, add the salt.
Enjoy over pasta, as a spread on a crostini or
on warm, crusty bread.