TOASTED PISTACHIO PESTO

My belly is still recovering from overindulging in a delicious Thanksgiving feast. How about yours?  Every year I am shocked to be hungry in the days after Thanksgiving. But here I am, back in the kitchen, ready for more.

Speaking of thanks, topping my list of things to be thankful for this year (and the list is long!) is...  my mom is healthy and cancer-free after a very scary couple of months.  I continue to be awed by her strength, attitude, grace, and resilience. When I brought her home after her second surgery last month, I told her I'd cook anything she craved. She wanted pesto. The sweet, funky, grocery store in her little town doesn't always stock pine nuts, but they did have some really good, roasted, organic pistachios from a farm nearby. I was inspired. I whipped up some chunky, rustic, and super flavorful pesto for my hungry mom. I was sure to pack in an extra dose of love in this meal knowing how essential every bite is to her healing process. She wolfed down her bowl of pistachio pesto pasta and continued to crave and eat bowls of pesto pasta for days. I was so honored to feed my mom.

I've been playing around with this recipe ever since. I tried adding some lemon zest and that didn't work. I substituted parsley for basil - success. I thought sweet and nutty Piave would be a great partner to the standard Parmesan and it was. I also ended up loving the addition of whole pistachios, leaves of parsley, and extra grated cheese to be scattered over the platted pesto pasta - the varied texture of the deconstructed pesto elements gives this classic a refreshing new life.

Like pretty much all of the recipes I share with you, this one is only as good as its ingredients. The pistachios need to be flavorful, the parsley fresh and perky, and the cheese delicious. I hope this recipe nourishes you as it did my mom.


INGREDIENTS (printable recipe)

• pasta of your liking
• 3/4 cup pistachios, roasted (or if raw follow my roasting suggestions below)
• 2 cups loosely packed Italian parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup finely grated Piave (if you cannot find Piave, you can just use Parmesan)
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (plus some extra for the table)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
• 1/2-3/4 cup olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Heat a large pot of pasta water while you make the pesto.

If you are using raw pistachios, do the following.... Heat a skillet over medium heat on the stove top. Toss in the raw pistachios and give them a shake occasionally to ensure even browning. It should take about 5-7 minutes to toast the pistachios this way. Set pistachios aside to cool to room temp before using.  They will firm up a bit as they cool to room temp.

For garnish later, set aside 1/4 cup roasted whole pistachios, 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, 1/4 cup mixed grated cheeses.

Get out your blender. Place remaining pistachios in the blender and pulse until the nuts are very coarsely chopped. (I think this coarse texture really makes the dish). Add remaining parsley leaves and pulse again a few times to blend. Add just enough olive oil to make the mixture move - about 1/2 cup. Add garlic, remaining cheese, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Barely blend in order to preserve that coarse texture. Taste to see if you'd like additional salt or pepper. Add if needed.

Cook your pasta.

Scoop pesto onto piles of warm pasta. Scatter a few whole pistachios and parsley leaves over each plate. Pass the grated cheese, salt, pepper grinder, and even a little dish with extra pesto.

Enjoy!

Parsley Salad

We have a bumper crop of parsley. In our backyard garden, we never know which crops will thrive - with birds, snails, and various other pests nibbling on our plants, we have a lot of competition. Parsley is one herb that is always happy and grows in abundance. I have made many rounds of tabouli and have also passed along bunches of herbs to neighbors and friends. After hearing that a simple parsley salad is a fresh and satisfying dish, I took Alice Waters' suggestion and we were all very pleased. In fact my nine-year-old couldn't get enough. The salad is a great accompaniment to roast chicken or grilled fish.

For years, parsley was maligned as the default garnish lingering on the plate at every old-school restaurant. In fact, parsley is incredibly nutritious on its own, providing twice the Vitamin C of an orange and more iron than spinach. Parsley also aids in digestion and is an antioxidant.

Toss parsley leaves with olive oil, lemon juice, and a heap of Parmesan and it is anything but boring.




INGREDIENTS
recipe from Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Vegetables

• one large bunch flat leaf Italian Parsley
• Lemon
• Olive Oil
• Parmesan
• Salt 
• Pepper
  

Remove and wash parsley leaves. Make sure leaves are completely dry. Just before serving, drizzle with a little olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice. Toss with a generous amount of grated Parmesan. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Top salad with a few larger shaving of Parmasan and serve.

Quinoa Tabouli

What to do with quinoa? Here's a tasty recipe....

1 cup quinoa
3 large tomatoes, chopped or cherry tomatoes quartered would be nice
1 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
1 cup scallion, finely chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons mint, finely chopped
salt to taste

First rinse quinoa several times. Then mix quinoa with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Simmer and cover. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed. Let cool to room temp.
Mix all ingredients with the quinoa, add salt to your liking, and you've got your tabouli.

This is a great dish to bring to a picnic.

Serves 6

Fresh Tomato and Gorgonzola Pasta

This dish couldn't be easier....

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta of your choice ( I used Tinkyada GF spaghetti)
8 medium tomatoes, chopped ( I used the irresistible dry-farmed Early Girls)
1 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 cup crumbled gorgonzola
plenty of fresh ground pepper
salt to taste

Once your pasta is cooked, add all ingredients and the gorgonzola will melt and and the tomatoes will soften. This is so tasty eaten at room temp!