artichoke pesto

dsc_05901The other day, I was craving pesto. I like  to make my own at home but somehow I can never achieve the same consistency as store bought ones  containing dairy.  I thought of adding a small amount of artichoke hearts and – believe it or not – it actually renders the pesto creamy. Amazing. 

Traditionally, pesto is made in a mortar and pestle. But, I don’t own one. To be honest, I find the food processor so much more efficient for this kind of thing. I don’t really feel the pesto suffers as a result of being prepared in the bowl of a machine either. In fact, this came out so deliciously that my children have asked for it twice since then.

Pesto can be used a last minute flavor addition to soups, as a topping for fish or chicken or as a bruschetta-type-spread with crackers. My dish (and my childrens’) of choice would be tossed with some pasta. Taking in to account that I  pretty much only use Tinkyada pasta, this pesto dish is best served at room temperature. If you are eating leftovers – which are wonderful by the way – eating it cold out of the fridge would not be my first choice. I find heating up the pesto pasta only slightly really helps, boosting its flavor quite nicely. Bear in mind that the garlic taste will mellow considerably the longer it is allowed to sit after it’s made.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with an “S” blade, pulse 1 clove garlic (I used one the size of my thumb – I LOVE garlic). If you you like less garlic flavor, use a small clove.
To the bowl, add & puree
1 cup loosely packed organic basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup (generously packed) artichoke hearts (I used Whole Foods canned “365 brand”)
then add:
1/4  to  1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (depending on how thick or thin you like it)

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 9pm and is filed under dinner, sauces. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 responses to “artichoke pesto”

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  1. Amy Green - Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free said: Jul 16, 2009

    I love pesto. Right now we have a bumper crop of basil and I’ve been meaning to make pesto…just haven’t done it. I am putting it on my list for tomorrow. I have thought of putting artichokes in pesto but it’s a great idea.

    I’m with you on the mortar & pestle vs. food processor. I am, though, putting the mortar & pestle on my X-mas list because I want a good one just in case I want to use it. (That’s my kitchen gadget obsession taking over.)

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  3. Angie said: Aug 09, 2009

    This sounds amazing! I love the thought of artichokes in the pesto..yum!

  4. Stephanie said: Nov 24, 2009

    angie,

    thank you – I have such a weakness for artichokes!

  5. Stephanie said: Nov 24, 2009

    Amy,

    I laughed when I read your comment – I so have a gadget obsession. I really have to restrain myself….I used to work at Pottery Barn (years ago) and we also got our employee discount at Williams-Sonoma. It was crazy – I needed one of everything, of course. Talk about enabling a bad habit. To this day, my husband calls it Poverty Barn :)

    ps – I actually saw a really nice mortar and pestle at Marshalls or TJ Maxx a few weeks ago for about $10

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