Spinach Pesto

‘Why would I want to eat something like that?’ I was asked when I offered it to my long standing food Guinea Pig. Well, seeing there wasn’t much else available he tasted the offered sample and smiled. Phew.

This is just sooo simple and you just know that this vibrant green paste is doing you a little bit of good – although you may have to eat loads of it to make any considerable difference. Spinach full of Vitamin A, Folate and Iron (but not as much as the myth surrounding Popeye would suggest – or is that a myth around a myth?)

Not only can it be used as a sauce for pasta, try spreading some on some toast or bread as a nibble, or even a stuffing for ravioli. Marvelous!

1 bag of baby spinach (I think it was 100g)

1 100g bag of pine nuts

1 100g bag of Parmesan (although freshly grated would taste so much better)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

olive oil depending on consistency required

optional zest and juice of a lemon

Traditional Pesto recipes ask for garlic, which of course you can add to the food processor, but personally I sometimes find it a little harsh – but please add if you prefer.

Here’s how easy it is – toast the pine nuts. Put the spinach, Parmesan and toasted pine nuts into a food processor/blender and press the button. Add a  some olive oil and  a little water to loosen the mixture. Season, add the nutmeg and the lemon zest and juice if desired. Taste.

So depending on what consistency you created depends how you next treat it. I didn’t add much liquid – just enough to transform it into a paste – as I preferred the idea of loosening it further when I came to adding it to the pasta.

I served it with Chili flavored pasta (not an over powering taste of Chili, but just a hint). I cooked the pasta, drained it reserving some of the cooking liquid. Then in the pan I heated some olive oil, seasoned it, added some of the cooking liquid and added a tablespoon of pesto. I returned the pasta to the pan, added some more pesto and little more of the cooking liquid. I stirred it all about to make sure it is evenly covered and served it with some Parmesan shavings.

For the ravioli just pop the paste into the fridge for an hour and it becomes perfect consistency for the stuffing. I'll be doing that tomorrow.