Fusilli With Spinach Nut Pesto Food

SPINACH PESTO FUSILLI

Steps:

• Place half the spinach in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add remaining spinach and pulse to chop. Add 1/2 cup pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper to the processor and puree.
• With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream. Transfer pesto to a large bowl. If making in advance, cover pesto with light coating of olive oil and cover with plastic. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente, about 6-8 minutes, or according to package instructions. Drain pasta and immediately toss with pesto.
• Serve pasta garnished with remaining pine nuts, grated Parmesan, and a drizzle of olive oil.

FUSILLI WITH TOMATO PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Toast the almonds in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until lightly browned and starting to crackle, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor; reserve the skillet. Add the basil and garlic to the food processor, season with salt and pepper and pulse until finely chopped. Add the tomatoes, olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and process until mostly smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl and stir in the Parmesan.
• Salt the boiling water, add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1/3 cup cooking water, then drain. Add the pasta to the bowl with the pesto and toss well to coat, adding splashes of the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen. Season with salt and pepper.
• While the pasta cooks, cook the bacon in the reserved skillet over medium heat, stirring, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the panko and continue to cook, stirring, until golden and crisp, 1 more minute. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Divide the pasta among bowls. Top with the bacon-panko mixture and sprinkle with Parmesan and sliced basil.

FUSILLI WITH SPINACH WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta.
• Pulse the spinach, basil, walnuts, garlic, and salt in a food processor. Pour in 1 1/2 cups of the olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Process to make a smooth paste, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Pour the fusilli into the boiling water, and cook until al dente. Scrape half of the pesto into a large skillet, and add 1 cup pasta water (no need to heat the sauce). Use a spider to drain the pasta and transfer to the skillet. Toss to coat the pasta with the pesto. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss with the grated cheese and serve.
• notes
• You can freeze the remaining half of the pesto for future use. Just pack it into a plastic container and pour a thin film of olive oil over the top. Thaw in refrigerator before using. Or you can cut the recipe in half, if you just want enough for 1 pound of pasta.

GRILLED CHICKEN WITH SPINACH AND PINE NUT PESTO

Steps:

• Heat a grill pan on medium high heat. Lightly oil the grill pan. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.
• Combine the spinach, pine nuts, lemon juice, and lemon peel in a processor. Lightly pulse. With the machine running, gradually add 1/3 cup of the oil, blending until the mixture is creamy. Add salt and pulse. Put half of the pesto into ice cube trays and store in the freezer for future use.
• Transfer the rest of the spinach mixture to a medium bowl. Stir in the Parmesan. Season the pesto with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Spread the pesto over each piece of chicken and serve.

PESTO WITH FUSILLI

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil, add pasta, and cook to al dente.
• In a food processor, combine basil and pine nuts, and blend. Add the garlic and drizzle in the olive oil while the processor is in operation. When the mixture turns to a paste, add the salt, pepper, and Parmesan, and pulse until well blended.
• To serve, simply combine the pasta and pesto together, and sprinkle Parmesan on top.

FUSILLI WITH SPICY PESTO

Steps:

• For the pesto: In a food processor, combine the walnuts, garlic, jalapeno, cheese, salt and pepper. Process until the mixture is smooth. Add the spinach and arugula and process until blended. With the machine running, gradually add the olive oil.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water. Place the cooked pasta and pesto in a large serving bowl. Toss well and thin out the sauce with a little pasta water, if needed.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Asiago cheese shavings and serve.
• *Cook's Note: For a milder pesto, remove the seeds from the jalapeno pepper.

FUSILLI WITH SPINACH AND WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• Add spinach and 1 tablespoon water to a large skillet set over medium-high. Cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. In a food processor, combine spinach, walnuts, oil, and lemon zest. Process until mixture forms a smooth paste, scraping down bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 2 cups pasta water; drain pasta. Return pasta to pot and add pesto, tossing to combine and adding enough pasta water to create a sauce that coats pasta. Transfer to a serving plate, top with pecorino, and serve immediately.

FUSILLI WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA PESTO

Steps:

• Toast the nuts in a small, heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until just golden and fragrant, 4-5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a big pot; lower the skewered garlic into the water; boil for 45 seconds.
• Immediately run the garlic under cold water; remove from skewer, peel, and mince.
• Place the nuts, garlic, spinach, oil, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the work bowl of a food processor; process until smooth, stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
• Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, stir in the cheeses, and adjust the salt.
• Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta to the boiling water; cook until al dente.
• Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water; drain the pasta and transfer it back to the cooking pot.
• Mix in 1/4 cup of the reserved cooking water and the pesto; use the additional 1/4 cup cooking water as needed to moisten the sauce.
• Divide among 4 warmed bowls and serve immediately.