This recipe is one of the tasty takeaways from a wonderful weekend with girlfriends at the Russian River. My friend, Millie, has had a family home in Guerneville since she was a little girl and spent her summers growing up in and around this lovely river town. If you haven’t tried the Blackberry recipes here at EpicCuriousLife, check out our blog and you’ll learn that Guerneville has so many tasty offerings…like blackberries!
Guerneville has been our go-to for a girls getaway weekend for many years...to connect with friends, nature, our appetite for great food and wine, and to take in all the uniqueness and fun of the town. This weekend did not fall short! From tasting at Sonoma Cutrer, Hook and Ladder, Rochioli, and Quivira to spending a beautiful sunny day making succulent planters, our appetites were primed for some delicious treats.
Katie made this amazing pesto and prepared it as a polenta bruschetta… Let me just say….I’m obsessed! Tastebuds blown! I knew I had to make this and keep on hand as it was so delicious and easy – such a great recipe to pull together for an impromptu gathering or simply paired with a glass of wine. I've been serving up this pesto polenta bruschetta almost weekly!
The recipe comes from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s cookbook The Food Lab – it’s filled with lots of food science and I learned from Katie that the process of blanching the basil keeps your pesto wonderfully bright green! Just look at that bright jewel green color...pretty cool, right?! I used Kenji’s base recipe and substituted almonds for pine nuts (since I didn't have any on hand) and the result was still amazing!
Are you drooling yet?
What you’ll need:
3 loosely packed cups fresh basil leaves
1 ½ loosely packed cups baby spinach leaves
1 medium clove garlic
¾ cup toasted pine nuts (see note on other nuts you can substitute below)
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 tsp grated Lemon zest
½ cup Olive Oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Let’s get cooking!
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
While the water is coming to a boil, toast the pine nuts (or nut of choice) in a small skillet to deepen the flavor and bring a bit of smokiness to the nuts. Once toasted, set aside.
Prepare an ice bath.
Once the water has come to a boil, add the basil, spinach, and garlic to the boiling water and blanch for 30 seconds. Drain immediately and transfer to the ice bath, and let cool completely.
Drain the basil, spinach, and garlic and transfer to a clean dish towel, cheesecloth, or paper towels. Wrap tightly and squeeze out any the excess liquid.
Transfer the basil, spinach, garlic to the bowl of a food processor, add the toasted nuts, grated cheese, lemon zest, and olive oil, and process until a paste is formed, about 30 seconds, scraping down the sides as necessary.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
If you desire a looser consistency, add a bit of olive oil until you have the desire consistency.
Serve immediately, or store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Note:
For a more intense flavor, omit the spinach and use additional basil in its place.
You can substitute almonds, walnuts, hazelnut for the pine nuts (this adaptation allows for flexibility to what you have in your pantry).
If you have an abundance of basil or want to make a huge batch, you can freeze your pesto for use any time. Simply take a small ice cream scoop of pesto and place on a sheet pan lined with wax paper or parchment paper and place in the freezer. An alternative that Katie suggested was to use ice cube trays to freeze your pesto. Once frozen, you can place the scoops of pesto (or pesto ice cubes) into a freezer bag and take out and thaw what you need whenever you need. Tip: do not thin out your pesto with olive oil before freezing…you can add olive oil when you have thawed your pesto and are ready to use.
Serve on top of toasted polenta slices (as pictured here in this recipe) with diced grape tomatoes and minced garlic and prawn (optional), drizzle on baked potatoes, pair with pasta, put on top of chicken thighs and bake….so many options!
Enjoy!
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