Pesto Cheese Blossom Food

PESTO GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH

Steps:

• Spread one side of a slice of bread with butter, and place it, buttered side down, into a nonstick skillet over medium heat.
• Spread the top of the bread slice in the skillet with half the pesto sauce, and place a slice of provolone cheese, the tomato slices, and the slice of American cheese onto the pesto.
• Spread remaining pesto sauce on one side of the second slice of bread, and place the bread slice, pesto side down, onto the sandwich. Butter the top side of the sandwich.
• Gently fry the sandwich, flipping once, until both sides of the bread are golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes per side.

GARLIC SCAPE PESTO

Steps:

• Blend the garlic scapes, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper together in a food processor until smooth.

PESTO CHEESE BLOSSOM

Steps:

• Line a 1-qt. bowl with plastic wrap, overlapping the sides of the bowl. Arrange six cheese slices on the bottom and up the sides of the bowl, overlapping each slice; set aside., Drain tomatoes, reserving 3 teaspoons oil mixture. In a food processor, combine tomatoes and reserved oil mixture; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a small bowl; set aside., Place cream cheese, pistachios and garlic in the food processor; cover and process until blended. Transfer to a small bowl; set aside., Add the pine nuts, basil, parsley, salt and pepper to food processor; cover and process until blended. While processing, add oil; process for 15 seconds or until combined. Transfer to a small bowl., Spread a third of the cream cheese mixture over provolone cheese in prepared bowl. Layer with pesto mixture, another third of the cream cheese mixture, tomato mixture and remaining cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining provolone slices. , Bring edges of plastic wrap together over cheese; press down gently to seal. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or until firm. Open plastic wrap; invert mold onto a serving plate. Serve with crackers.

PESTO CHEESE BLOSSOM (PAULA DEEN)

Steps:

• Line a medium bowl with plastic wrap, leaving enough overhang to cover the top.
• Reserving 3 slices of provolone, line the bottom and sides of the bowl with remaining provolone, overlapping slices.
• For the cream cheese layer, process the cream cheese, pistachios, and 1 garlic clove in a food processor until blended; scrape the mixture into a bowl and set aside.
• For the pesto layer, process the basil, parsley, pine nuts and the remaining garlic clove in the food processor until blended.
• Dissolve the salt and pepper in the olive oil and mix well.
• With the machine running, add the oil in a fine stream.
• Scrape this mixture into a second bowl and set aside.
• For the tomato layer, drain the tomatoes, reserving the oil.
• Puree the tomatoes with a small amount of the reserved oil in a food processor.
• Spread some of the cream cheese mixture over the cheese slices lining the bowl.
• Layer the pesto mixture, half of the remaining cream cheese mixture, the sun-dried tomato mixture and then remaining cream cheese mixture in the bowl.
• Cover with remaining provolone.
• Bring edges of the plastic wrap together over the top and secure with a twist tie.
• *Freeze until firm to the touch.
• Remove the plastic wrap and invert the mold onto a serving platter.
• To serve, slice thinly and serve with party crackers.
• This will keep in the refrigerator for up to three months.
• *Note:Original recipe says to freeze until firm, but I wasn't sure how that would work out.
• I just froze for about an hour until it was firm enough to unmold.
• Can be store easily in the refrigerator.

PESTO CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Cook the penne pasta for 2 minutes less than the shortest time listed on the package. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, add the chicken, spinach, drained tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese to a very large mixing bowl. Pour the Alfredo sauce, pesto, and milk over the top and stir gently to combine.
• In a small mixing bowl, add the bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and olive oil. Stir together with a fork until everything is evenly combined and the bread crumbs are coated in oil. Set aside.
• Add the drained pasta to the mixing bowl and gently stir together with the chicken mixture until everything is evenly coated in sauce.
• Pour the chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth out to an even layer. Sprinkle the reserved bread crumb mixture evenly over the top.
• Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until everything is bubbly hot and the bread crumbs are toasted.

THE BEST PESTO GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Spread the pesto on one side of the bread then Top with provolone. Close the sandwich and press firmly on the top.
• In a medium skillet, heat about 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-low heat until just melted.
• Place your sandwich in the skillet and spread remaining butter over top of the sandwich.
• Cook on each side for about 5-6 minutes on a low heat or until each side is a nice crispy golden brown.

HERB FLOWER PESTO

Steps:

• Pulse nuts, herb flowers, garlic, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Whir in olive oil and Parmesan, if using.
• *Spread nuts on a baking sheet and toast them in a 350°F oven-tossing occasionally, for a consistent color-for about 8 minutes, or until they start to turn golden brown and release a strong nutty scent.
• **Fennel, lemon balm, and marjoram flowers also make good pesto.
• Putting Up Pesto
• If you want to store a bit of summer in a jar, put this pesto in your freezer and pull it out when you are most coveting spicy sunny days. I freeze mine in an ice cube tray and then transfer the frozen cubes to freezer bags so I can use a bit at a time.

FRIED ZUCCHINI BLOSSOMS WITH GOAT CHEESE AND ZUCCHINI PESTO

Steps:

• For the Blossoms: Carefully stuff each zucchini blossom with 1 teaspoon of the goat cheese. Fold over the petals to form an envelope. In a deep skillet or deep fryer, heat the oil to 375 degrees. Meanwhile put the flour in a mixing bowl. Pour in the seltzer a little at a time, whisking constantly to ensure a smooth batter. Season with salt and cayenne. When the oil is properly heated, dip a stuffed blossom into the batter to coat it evenly, scraping off any excess. Fry until crisp and golden, about 30 seconds per side. Remove to paper towels to drain. Repeat process with all blossoms, being careful not to overcrowd the skillet and maintaining the proper oil temperature. For the Pesto: Quarter zucchini and cut into 1 inch pieces. Blanch zucchini for 2 minutes in salted boiling water, and then shock in ice bath to preserve color. Drain well and pat dry with cloth. Place blanched zucchini, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, basil leaves, garlic, in food processor and start to puree. With the motor running, pour the olive oil through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream until the pesto emulsifies. Season with salt and pepper taste.;