Easy Spinach Walnut Pesto Food

EASY SPINACH-WALNUT PESTO RECIPE

Steps:

• If you need to grate your cheese, cut up your Parmesan wedge into chunks and put them in your food processor or blender. Chop them until the cheese is the right consistency. Rinse your spinach, if needed, and pat dry.
• Add the spinach and all ingredients to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse until you have the consistency of a smooth paste, stopping once to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Serve the pesto stirred into cooked pasta or use it as a topping for pizza, chicken or salmon. (See notes for ideas.) Store the pesto in the refrigerator up to one week or freeze it for longer.

SPINACH, WALNUT AND GOLDEN RAISIN PESTO PASTA WITH ITALIAN CHICKEN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. Grill the sausages, covered with a medium heatproof bowl, until nice and charred and no longer pink on the inside, flipping once, 6 to 8 minutes per side. Transfer to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then slice on the bias. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Poach the garlic cloves in the boiling water for 5 minutes, then transfer them with a slotted spoon to a food processor. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook to al dente according to the package directions.
• Meanwhile, add the walnuts to the food processor with the garlic and pulse until chopped, about 8 times. Add the spinach, basil, cheese, olive oil, raisins, salt, pepper and lemon zest and juice. Pulse about 10 times, until combined but still rustically chopped. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Using a spider, add the pasta to the skillet. Add the spinach pesto and toss to combine. Heat until warmed through. Season to taste if necessary and serve immediately topped with grilled sausage slices.

SPINACH PESTO

Steps:

• Place the first 6 ingredients in a food processor; cover and pulse until chopped. Add the walnuts, lemon juice and zest; cover and process until blended. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream., Serve desired amount of pesto with pasta. Transfer remaining pesto to ice cube trays. Cover and freeze up to 1 month., To use frozen pesto: Thaw in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Serve with pasta.

PAUL'S FAVORITE SPINACH-WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse several times until coarsely chopped. Scrape sides of bowl from time to time. Process continuously until the sauce is smooth.
• If the pesto is too thick, add a little hot water and pulse again.
• At this point, you can either freeze the pesto for future use or toss immediately with prepared, hot spaghetti noodles.
• Serve with crusty bread and a good white wine.

SPAGHETTI WITH SPINACH & WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Whizz the garlic, walnuts, herbs, lemon zest and juice with some seasoning in a food processor until finely chopped.
• Cook the spaghetti following pack instructions, then drain reserving a little of the cooking water. Return to the pan and stir in the pesto, raisins and spinach with a splash of cooking water. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if you like.