Arugula Pesto
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We have a 3 ft by 6 ft
patch of arugula growing in our garden and for the last two months I’ve
been looking for ways to make use of it. By the way, arugula (a.k.a.
rocket) grows like a weed and re-seeds itself every year. The bugs and
snails don’t seem to touch it (they go for the lettuce instead). I had
heard that walnuts are good in pesto so I tried making the arugula pesto
both ways – one with pine nuts and one with walnuts. I think the
arugula pesto with walnuts is better. The strong, meaty flavor of the
walnuts balances out the astringency of the arugula, a good blend of
flavors. I’ve made pesto both with mortar and pestle and with a food
processor. The food processor method is definitely easier but the mortar
method produces larger pieces of the arugula.
I prefer a mild garlic flavor that you can achieve by using roasted garlic. The 1/2 raw garlic clove is added for a little kicker. The first time I made this pesto it was with only raw garlic and it was a little overwhelmingly garlicy. Using roasted garlic is a great way to still have the garlic flavor but without the intensity.
I prefer a mild garlic flavor that you can achieve by using roasted garlic. The 1/2 raw garlic clove is added for a little kicker. The first time I made this pesto it was with only raw garlic and it was a little overwhelmingly garlicy. Using roasted garlic is a great way to still have the garlic flavor but without the intensity.
Arugula Pesto Recipe
PrintIngredients
- 2 cups of packed arugula leaves, stems removed
- 1/2 cup of shelled walnuts
- 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 1/2 garlic clove peeled and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Method
1 Brown
6 garlic cloves with their peels on in a skillet over medium high heat
until the garlic is lightly browned in places, about 10 minutes. Remove
the garlic from the pan, cool, and remove the skins.
2 Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown, or heat in a microwave on high heat for a minute or two until you get that roasted flavor. In our microwave it takes 2 minutes.
3a Food processor method (the fast way): Combine the arugula, salt, walnuts, roasted and raw garlic into a food processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
3b Mortar and pestle method: Combine the nuts, salt and garlic in a mortar. With the pestle, grind until smooth. Add the cheese and olive oil, grind again until smooth. Finely chop the arugula and add it to the mortar. Grind up with the other ingredients until smooth.
Because the pesto is so dependent on the individual ingredients, and the strength of the ingredients depends on the season or variety, test it and add more of the ingredients to taste.
Serve with pasta, over freshly roasted potatoes, or as a sauce for pizza.
2 Toast the nuts in a pan over medium heat until lightly brown, or heat in a microwave on high heat for a minute or two until you get that roasted flavor. In our microwave it takes 2 minutes.
3a Food processor method (the fast way): Combine the arugula, salt, walnuts, roasted and raw garlic into a food processor. Pulse while drizzling the olive oil into the processor. Remove the mixture from the processor and put it into a bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
3b Mortar and pestle method: Combine the nuts, salt and garlic in a mortar. With the pestle, grind until smooth. Add the cheese and olive oil, grind again until smooth. Finely chop the arugula and add it to the mortar. Grind up with the other ingredients until smooth.
Because the pesto is so dependent on the individual ingredients, and the strength of the ingredients depends on the season or variety, test it and add more of the ingredients to taste.
Serve with pasta, over freshly roasted potatoes, or as a sauce for pizza.
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