Arugula Pesto
- Total Time
- 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2garlic cloves, cut in half, green shoots removed
- 2heaped tablespoons shelled walnuts
- 4ounces arugula, stemmed, washed and dried 2 cups leaves, tightly packed
- ½teaspoon salt
- ⅓ to ½cup extra virgin olive oil, as needed
- ⅓ to ½cup freshly grated Parmesan, to taste
For the Arugula Pesto
Nutritional analysis per serving (1.3333333333333333 servings)
878 calories; 87 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 54 grams monounsaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 21 grams protein; 574 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
For the Arugula Pesto
- Step 1
Turn on a food processor fitted with the steel blade, and drop in the garlic cloves. When they are chopped and adhering to the sides, stop the machine, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the walnuts. Turn on the machine, and process until they are finely ground. Scrape down the bowl again, and add the arugula and the salt. Pulse until the arugula is finely chopped, then turn on the machine and run while you slowly drizzle in the olive oil. When the mixture is smooth, stop the machine, scrape down the sides and process for another 30 seconds or so. Scrape out into the bowl of a mortar and pestle. Grind the mixture with the pestle for a smoother texture. Work in the cheese and combine well.
- Advance preparation: Cover the top with a film of olive oil, and this will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days.Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com.
Private Notes
Comments
To cut the bitterness, I added the juice of half a lemon, and the zest of 1 lemon. Super successful!
this will be even better if you toast the walnuts in the oven (300degrees) until they start to smell fragrant (check after about 10 minutes).
I've been making this a lot lately. I've been on a big parsley kick, so I make it with half parsley, half arugula--softening the potentially overpowering bitterness of the arugula. Otherwise I make it as is (minus the cheese, because I'm cheese-free), and find it super easy and super tasty.
I made a triple batch using plenty of mature garden arugula (which is spicy, peppery & a bitter), and a little Thai basil and Genovese basil. I added a small amount of cilantro also, but significantly less than the other greens. Also I didn’t have walnuts, so I used a mixture of toasted pecans and pumpkin seeds heated until fragrant. The mix was pungent, peppery, and fresh. Lovely consistency (we used slightly less olive oil than 3x), and a nice bright beautiful green color! The arugula did taste quite bitter, but juice from one Meyer lemon seriously reduced the bitterness and seems to also bring the savory flavors in the mix forward. Parsley would likely also cut the bitterness. Cooked over chicken and froze the rest in a silicon tray to use with pasta, potatoes, eggs, etc. Though I deviated from the recipe somewhat, the proportions and mix are lovely and I’ll certainly be using it in the future.
Meh. I did use outstanding arugula from the farmer’s market. Served on fussili, added shrimps, sun-dried tomatoes, and blanched green beans.
This is good, but needs acid. Lemon juice brightens it up and complements the arugula nicely. I don’t have walnuts, so subbed pepitas which also worked well.