The Wonders of Pesto

If you don’t have a jar of pesto in your pantry right now, you are seriously missing out! I always make sure to have a jar of this must have condiment on hand. It’s the perfect addition to any quick (or gourmet) meal. Just a dollop can jazz up any dish – chicken, fish, pasta, potatoes, even veggies.

So what is pesto anyway? Basically, it is just fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, and some parmesan and/or romano chesses. Pesto can also be made with sun dried tomatoes, mint, tarragon, etc, instead of basil, if you’re in the mood to change things up. If you’re really bored you can just toss those ingredients into a food processor and wah lah! I however am content to buy the pre-made stuff (Trader Joe’s has an awesome jarred pesto!).
So, just what can you do with pesto? Here are some of my favorite pesto recipes, most of which can be made in jiffy!

Pesto Potatoes
Ingredients:
Small yellow potatoes
olive oil
salt
½ cup pesto
¼ cup milk (or cream if you are daring)
2 tbls butter
2 tbls parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Drizzle potatoes with olive oil and salt and bake until potatoes are tender. While potatoes are baking, prepare the pesto sauce.
2. Over low to medium, heat, melt butter. Then add milk and parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until well blended and mixture begins to boil. If the sauce is too thick, add milk until desired consistency (should be thick and creamy, but not clumpy).
3. Stir in pesto and remove from heat.
4. When potatoes are finished baking, pour pesto sauce over them and coat evenly.

Pesto Torte
Ingredients:
4 oz cream cheese (softened)
½ cup pesto
½ cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes (drained)
Parmesan Cheese (as needed)

Directions:
1. Line a small bowl or container with plastic wrap.
2. Mix pesto with parmesan cheese until thick. Spoon into the bottom of the bowl.

3. Coarsely chop sun dried tomatoes in food processor. Thicken with parmesan cheese if needed. Spread on top of pesto.
4. Spread softend cream cheese on top of pesto (you can also add cracked pepper, garlic, and/or other seasonings to cream cheese before hand)

5. Cover and chill until ready to use. Invert torte onto serving plate and peel off plastic wrap. Serve with crackers or baguette slices. Some other quick suggestions:
-Use on pasta or pizza instead of tomato sauce
-Spread onto french bread slices and bake until crispy (a great alternative to garlic bread)
-Put a dollop on top of grilled fish – especially swordfish or tuna!
-Spread on a sandwich or mix with mayo (especially good on a chicken Panini)
-Make pasta salad with it instead of mayo or Italian dressing
-Add to sour cream for a delicious veggie dipSeriously, the possibilities are endless here!