CIlantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto

When it comes to cilantro, I’ve discovered that you either love it, or you hate it.

Well, me? I LOVE it. And those people that hate it? Yeah, well, I don’t understand them...

So, when I recently saw this recipe posted by Pam over at Sidewalk Shoes, I knew I was going to have to try it.

Cilantro? Good.
Pesto? GOOD.
Cilantro Pesto??? FRIGGIN’ GOOD!!!

I did have a little trouble finding the raw pumpkin seeds. Consistent with the ongoing saga of having little or no access to decent ingredients, it took a trip to Baltimore to find a bag of raw hulled pumpkin seeds for this recipe.

Ohhh but it was worth it. “Just use sunflower seeds” Ginny kept saying to me.....

Well, as you may or may not be aware...I’m a little stubborn, (like a mule!) and I wasn’t about to give up on the pumpkin seeds. And I am glad I held out. This pesto is absolutely fabulous! So far I am loving it on chicken tacos, but I am thinking it would be great on a nice Panini with some queso fresco, or, for that matter, just eating it with a spoon. (no, I’m not serious....well....maybe...)

So I now have a stash of pumpkin seeds in my freezer for the next time I have to have some cilantro pesto...which is now going to be a staple in my house!
Cilantro and Pumpkin Seed Pesto
1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
2 cups (gently packed) fresh cilantro leaves and tender sprigs
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoons seeded and coarsely chopped jalapeno pepper (I left the seeds in because I am bold)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Toast the pumpkin seeds in a small dry skillet over medium heat. When you hear the first seed pop, start stirring or shaking the pan continuously. The pumpkin seeds will puff up. When most of the seeds are puffed up, pour the seeds on a paper towel to cool.
In a food processor process the seeds and all of the ingredients except the olive oil until it’s finely ground. Then pour the olive oil in a smooth steady stream, until the mixture is creamy and fairly smooth.

I Stand Corrected - Tomato Almond Pesto

I knew in the back of my head that I was wrong. Even as I typed it in a sweet missive to you, my readers, I knew I was lying...or at least stretching the truth.....could have been a lie of omission. The truth is, I was in a hurry, and aiming not to complicate the issue.

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m referring to my post about Asparagus Pesto. In that post, I came right out and said that when you want pesto, you just start with anything green, and add nuts, oil, parmesan and other ingredients.

That much is, indeed, true. But I was keeping something from you.

The truth is.....it doesn’t have to be green. And I knew that. But. I didn’t tell you that.

Well I’m telling you now!!!

One of the recipes Ginny brought with her was one for a Tomato Almond Pesto. This one originally comes to us from America’s Test Kitchen (of which Ginny is a big fan), although we have made significant modifications (since we started cooking before we had the recipe fully in hand) to the recipe, so I will give you our abbreviated version, although I plan to go back at a later date and try my hand at the spicier original, too.

For our purposes, we started with a clean food processor and added a couple of cups of sweet grape tomatoes. Then we added a handful of slivered almonds that we toasted in a dry pan with a few cloves of garlic. And the garlic. Then a good handful of fresh basil leaves, some parmesan cheese and enough olive oil to make a nice smooth paste.

As with any pesto, the amounts may vary depending on what you have on hand, but the result is always the same, a huge flavor punch that makes a wonderful complement to pasta and any number of other things. But, we had pasta on the brain that day, so that's where this particular pesto ended up. Pure tomato yumminess.

Mixing it Up - Bittman Style!

Even as much as I adore grilling in the summer, I still manage to get in a rut for ideas on what to make. I mean, really, how many different ways can you grill a chicken breast, right? I do love the larger cuts like brisket and ribs, and so forth, but those time-consuming items are reserved for Sundays when time is generally not a concern.

So, when I was making my grocery list last week, as usual, I asked the hubs if he had any suggestions. And, as usual, I got bupkus for a response. So, I fell into my usual routine of browsing the local grocer’s meat case, appealing to it to produce something new and attractive. On this occasion, I did actually find a small bit of inspiration. Nothing dramatic, but for some reason there was a glut of various sausages available during my weekly visit.

I grabbed up a package of Garlic Italian, one of Andouille, and a third of a local Bockwurst. Can you say “mixed grill”? I knew you could. I froze half of it for another day, and we grilled the three sausages, plus some sweet corn and farmers market asparagus for a nice, easy weeknight meal.
Pretty, no?

So here’s the twist. I was searching for a dish to make for I Heart Cooking Clubs this week (this being our monthly ‘Pot Luck’ theme) and was inspired yet again when I ran across Mark Bittman’s recipe for Asparagus Pesto.

Asparagus. Pesto. Yum! I love pesto. I love asparagus. I never would have dreamed to put the two together even though I have made a number of variations on pesto in the past.

Bittman’s recipe calls for boiling a pound of asparagus until tender but not mushy. Well, I had used up all my nice asparagus on the grill (and, in a skillet, when the propane bottle ran out halfway through the cooking process) the night before (and anyway, I’m not a fan of boiling vegetables) so I ran to the Wednesday night farmer’s market hoping to purchase another bundle.

Um, no. Its gone. Apparently the season is really over. So sad. But, undeterred, I had a brainstorm. I had the leftover asparagus in the fridge....and I had made quite a bit of it, so there was plenty for a half batch of Bittman’s pesto. Which is more than enough for me for dinner.

Excited, I ran home (ok, yes, I drove) got the food processor out (lucky me, it was still out from being used for something yet to be posted, and had been washed) and started chucking ingredients in the bowl.

Pestos are so easy, people. Really. I mean, its an herb or vegetable, oil, nuts, cheese, and maybe some acid. No recipe required (although I will post Bittman’s below, just for reference) just keep adding until it looks right.

Start with something green, in this case, about a half pound of leftover grilled/sautéed asparagus.
Toss in a handful of pine nuts (or almonds, hazelnuts, etc. Preferably toasted, but I was lazy last night and just tossed them right in).
Add a handful of grated parmesan.
(Normally I add garlic, but I was afraid in this case it would overwhelm the flavor of the asparagus, so I skipped it.)
Salt and pepper.
A good squeeze of lemon juice (about a half a lemon).
Put the top on the mixer, press ‘ON’, and drizzle olive oil through the top until the mixture forms a nice smooth paste.
My one tip is start small on the other ingredients, as you want your asparagus to be the center of attention. If you add too much cheese, and you are out of asparagus, you’re also out of luck, so add a little at a time if you’re a novice pesto maker.

And....PESTO!Lovely, lovely....now. What to do with it? I thought smearing it on crusty bread would be nice...if I had some. Which I didn’t. Crackers? Yeah, the saltines in my pantry weren’t exactly worthy of such a topping. A layer on a nice Panini with mozzarella and ham would be delish. I had the ham and cheese...again, no bread.

PASTA! I am usually hesitant to make a pesto pasta because it seems like the pesto just disappears on the noodles and becomes too subtle. This asparagus pesto was springy and pungent and I didn’t want to give up the lovely chunkiness of it. So what do I do? Make orzo.

Yep, I boiled up about a cup of orzo, and just mixed enough of it into the pesto to get the consistency I wanted, and VOILA! Fabulous. A lovely summertime dinner I couldn’t wait to dig my spoon into. This turned out so creamy and luscious, it wasn’t much different than a risotto in texture.The whole thing went together in about 15 minutes since I used leftover asparagus and I scarfed it down just as fast.

Thanks again, Mark Bittman, for a fabulous idea! I usually only cook as much asparagus as I intend to eat for that meal, but I’ll be grilling extra from now on, just so I can make pesto with the leftovers! This is my submission for I Heart Cooking Clubs and Presto Pasta Nights (check for the roundup later this week at http://www.kirstenlindquist.blogspot.com/) this week!

Now, here’s the original recipe:
Asparagus Pesto
Kosher salt
1 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch segments
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts
1/4 cup olive oil, or more as desired
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon, or to taste.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and shock with ice water to stop the cooking. Reserve some of the cooking liquid.
Transfer the cooled asparagus pieces to a food processor and add the garlic, hazelnuts, 2 tablespoons of the oil, Parmesan, a pinch of salt and a couple of tablespoons of the cooking liquid.
Process the mixture, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container if necessary, and gradually add the remaining oil and a bit more of the reserved cooking liquid to moisten if necessary. Add the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste, pulse one last time to finish mixing.
Serve over pasta, fish or chicken. Top with chopped hazelnuts and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups of pesto. Keeps, covered and refrigerated for a day or two.

TFF - Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup...a classic!

Well, everyone, summer is, unfortunately, beginning to decline. I know some of you look forward to winter, but I most definitely do not. I will mourn the end of summer fiercely...I guess its a good thing I have plenty of wine to cry my tears into.

Meanwhile, the weather has taken a mild turn to the cooler side, and that immediately puts me in the mood for soup. I've had a recipe marked in Tyler Florence's Stirring the Pot for some time now, and was just waiting for the right moment to bring it out. Tomato Soup is one of my all time favorite comfort foods, especially in the winter or when I'm sick; and I don't know about you, but when I think of tomato soup, my mind automatically adds a grilled cheese sandwich to the menu. Lucky for me, there is also a recipe in the same book for a wonderful grilled cheese sandwich with smoked mozzarella and basil pesto.

These recipes couldn't have come at a better time. I have a mountain of fresh garden tomatoes, a freezer chock full of pesto from last year's basil crop, and I was finally able to find a chunk of smoked mozzarella at Meijer! I couldn't believe how hard it was to find that! (Special thanks to Melyssa for snaring that prize for me!). Admittedly, the flavor of the smoked mozzarella is a little pverwhelming to me on its own, but paired with the pesto, it takes on a nutty flavor and blends in perfectly. I am really glad tha I held out for the smoked mozzarella instead of settling for regular, which I honestly thought would be fine. I am very glad I waited.

Being me, I couldn't help making a few adjustments to the recipe. For one, I either doubled or tripled the amount of basil I added to the soup. In my book, you can NEVER have too much fresh basil. Also, instead of plain white bread for the sandwiches, I broke out some pretty little ciabatta rolls. I love a chewy bread when there is cheese on a sandwich.

While I was cooking supper last night for the hubs, I had the tomatoes, onions and garlic roasting in the oven for the soup. I have to say, I am actually surprised the hubs didn't end up trying the soup when it was finished. He was walking around the kitchen like a foxhound with his nose in the air, telling me how great it smelled. "There's something in there that smells really good!" he kept saying. And I'll tell you what, he was right. My kitchen was just bursting at the seams with the wonderful fragrance of the roasted vegetables, and when I put the fresh chopped basil on top of the stewing tomatoes and plunged the immersion blender into it, the whole atmosphere changed. It smelled like we were in an Italian grandma's kitchen.

The sandwiches were gooey and chock full of flavor, and the soup was rich and creamy. I have a feeling this soup is going to become a staple in my kitchen. Since tonight is Friday and its my night off from cooking each week, I plan to cook up a little pasta and toss it with the soup as a sauce, top it with some freshly shaved Parmesan....Oooo! I can't wait to see how THAT turns out!

Until then, I hope you enjoy the pictures of last night's indulgence. And do't forget to check back later for the roundup at Tyler Florence Fridays - this is my submission for this week!Grilled Cheese (Smoked Mozzarella and Basil Pesto)
4 slices white sandwich bread
4 slices smoked mozzarella
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Freshly ground black pepper
BASIL PESTO:
2 cups fresh basil
1 cup fresh Italian parsley
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
To make pesto combine pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse until well combined but still has a rough texture.
Assemble sandwich by smearing insides of bread slices with pesto. Arrange a layer of mozzarella and season with a few turns of fresh pepper. Layer the mozzarella slices over the top and then place the bread over to make the sandwich. Set a large sauté pan over medium heat and add butter. Add sandwich and cook 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy. Remove from pan and rub toasted bread with garlic.

Roasted Tomato Soup with Fresh Basil

2 ½ lb fresh tomatoes (mix of fresh heirlooms, cherry, vine and plum tomatoes)

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

2 small yellow onions, sliced

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1 qt chicken stock

2 bay leaves

4 tablespoons butter

½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves

¾ cup heavy cream, optional
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh basil, for garnish

Preheat oven to 450˚F.

Wash, core and cut the tomatoes into halves. Spread the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onions onto a baking tray. Also add the vine cherry tomatoes if using for garnish, leave them whole and on the vine. Drizzle with ½ cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.Roast for 20-30 minutes or until caramelized.Remove roasted tomatoes, garlic and onion from the oven and transfer to a large stock pot (set aside the roasted vine tomatoes for later use). Pour in any liquid, ¾ of the chicken stock, bay leaves and butter. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until liquid has reduced by1/3. Wash and dry basil leaves and add to the pot.Puree the soup using an immersion stick blender until smooth. Return soup to low heat, add cream and adjust consistency with remaining chicken stock if necessary. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish in bowl with three or four roasted vine cherry tomatoes and a splash of heavy cream.