Spinach Pesto

[PrincessFiona60]

Spinach Pesto or Ogre Goo

1/2 pound Spinach, rinsed and shaken dry
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 cup crushed walnuts (toasted if you like)
1/3 cup favorite vegetable oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Puree all in food processor or blender...add water or lemon juice to thin if needed.

[babetoo]

yum, would have to leave out the walnuts . bet it would still be good with pasta for a quick meal. thanks

[pacanis]

I've never had pesto, PF. What do you do with it?
It sounds nice... do you put it on crostini, mix it in with pasta, eat it with a spoon? lol
I've got a wee bit of spinach left from last night's dinner and might downsize your recipe and give it a whirl.

[DaveSoMD]

pesto is usually served on pasta and I have even seen it used as a base layer for pizza.

[lifesaver]

Originally Posted by PrincessFiona60

Spinach Pesto or Ogre Goo

1/2 pound Spinach, rinsed and shaken dry
2 cloves of minced garlic
1/4 cup crushed walnuts (toasted if you like)
1/3 cup favorite vegetable oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Puree all in food processor or blender...add water or lemon juice to thin if needed.

I've never tried a pesto but have thought about it. How do you think it would turn out if I used, pecans instead of walnuts and olive oil instead of vegetable oil?

[pacanis]

Thanks Dave. I've read enough times of people making it, I just never paid attention to what they were eating it with, lol.

[kadesma]

Originally Posted by pacanis

Thanks Dave. I've read enough times of people making it, I just never paid attention to what they were eating it with, lol.

Pa I bet you would love your pesto on a andwich or panini. I plan to mek some to use Sunday when we make panini's I don't see why pecans wouldn't work I myself will use walnuts or pinenuts in mine. good luck.
kadesma

[spork]

Copied and filed under "ogregoo." LOL!
Spinach is a rather fragile green, so I try to prep, cook, and eat it quickly. This looks like a great way to stretch the shelf life a bit.

[Kayelle]

I really want to make this PF. My question is, about how long does it keep in the fridge? I'd mainly be interested in using it for sandwich spread so I wouldn't want it to go all wonky in less than a week or so.

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by lifesaver

I've never tried a pesto but have thought about it. How do you think it would turn out if I used, pecans instead of walnuts and olive oil instead of vegetable oil?

pecans woulkd be okay and the recipe does say your favorite vegetable oil...olive oil does fit in that category, unless you want to be specific about olives being a fruit!

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by Kayelle

I really want to make this PF. My question is, about how long does it keep in the fridge? I'd mainly be interested in using it for sandwich spread so I wouldn't want it to go all wonky in less than a week or so.

I have no idea, it was mentioned in another thread and I went looking for a recipe...I out of the several I found this combination of a multitude of ingredients appeared the tastiest to me. I took what I liked from all the recipes and wrote it out, I have yet to make it!

[CWS4322]

I make pesto using young Swiss Chard. I've also used "baby kale" leaves. I prefer EVOO as my oil, and I often use filberts (hazelnuts) or almonds. I have used walnuts, as well as pecans. I am allergic to pine nuts, so never use pine nuts.

I freeze mine. I use it on pasta, sandwiches (chicken/turkey sandwich with pesto on a whole-wheat pita is one of my favorite sandwiches to take with me on the road), I put it in soup (Italian Wedding soup or chicken soup), I use it "on top" of grilled salmon, or grilled chicken breasts. Pesto is so easy to make and a little goes a long way. I also make traditional pesto out of basil.

[JMediger]

As PF said, this started in a sandwich thread so it's not really a pesto to toss with pasta, not that you couldn't but I wouldn't unless I was making pasta salad.

If you've never tried pesto, try the real basil version first just so you have that on your tongue as you try other greens. IMHO, you should know the original before you experiment.

As for how long it keeps, I make a batch and hold on the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It's usually gone by then ... It won't brown as bad as basil pesto will but I still mix it up every time I use it.

My version is exactly how I make basil pesto ... 2 handfuls of washed and patted dry spinach, 1/2 cup'ish pine nuts, squirt of lemon juice, 3/4 - 1 cup parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup EVOO, 1/4 cup'ish warm water (I like it creamy vs chunky). Pulse it all in the blender until it's the consistency you want. You may need to add water if you want it thinner.

I use it for sandwiches for lunch ...

[PrincessFiona60]

I think it sounds great for adding to cold pasta or a pita like sandwich. Something to make veggies a bit more accessible to me. I love Spinach.

[pacanis]

Made.
I fudged on all the measurements of course. I had a 6 oz bag of spinach I figured I had used 2/3-3/4 of, that went in, and about 3/4 of a "normal" sized garlic clove, the zest of one lemon, maybe 1/8c of EVOO (even though olives are a fruit ), probably close to 1/4c of the walnuts and the parmesan.
I tasted a little bitterness from the walnuts and of course I tasted the garlic. I'll add that I am not a big fan of uncooked garlic. Kind of a pleasant taste, but it took another taste. I did not taste the zest at all and the spinach seemed like more of a binder, but we'll let it set a while...

I can see using this in a cold chicken wrap and also as a steak topping, letting the steak warm up the pesto. Actually, I'm really thinking a steak topping... so much that I just might cook steak tonight for dinner

[PrincessFiona60]

Originally Posted by pacanis

Made.
I fudged on all the measurements of course. I had a 6 oz bag of spinach I figured I had used 2/3-3/4 of, that went in, and about 3/4 of a "normal" sized garlic clove, the zest of one lemon, maybe 1/8c of EVOO (even though olives are a fruit ), probably close to 1/4c of the walnuts and the parmesan.
I tasted a little bitterness from the walnuts and of course I tasted the garlic. I'll add that I am not a big fan of uncooked garlic. Kind of a pleasant taste, but it took another taste. I did not taste the zest at all and the spinach seemed like more of a binder, but we'll let it set a while...

I can see using this in a cold chicken wrap and also as a steak topping, letting the steak warm up the pesto. Actually, I'm really thinking a steak topping... so much that I just might cook steak tonight for dinner

Maybe some minced roasted garlic and toast the walnuts? One of the recipes I saw, they said they used frozen chopped spinach and a few fortified it with some basil. I wonder if this recipe came about as a way to extend basil pesto.

[pacanis]

Frozen spinach would definitely hold its own in the flavor dept. Give me fresh or give me canned, but give someone else the frozen . I could never develop a taste for frozen spinach, or frozen green beans for that matter . Toasted garlic sounds really good. I'm still tasting that garlic Who said earlier that a little goes a long ways?

[CWS4322]

Roasted garlic sounds like a plan! I usually do toss in about 1/2 c of fresh basil when I make spinach/swiss chard/kale pesto. And, about 1/2 c of flat Italian parsley when I make basil pesto. Were the walnuts fresh? I keep my walnuts in the freezer to keep them from getting rancid. I personally prefer almonds or pecans in my pesto, but in a pinch, I'll use walnuts.

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by pacanis

Made.
I fudged on all the measurements of course. I had a 6 oz bag of spinach I figured I had used 2/3-3/4 of, that went in, and about 3/4 of a "normal" sized garlic clove, the zest of one lemon, maybe 1/8c of EVOO (even though olives are a fruit ), probably close to 1/4c of the walnuts and the parmesan.
I tasted a little bitterness from the walnuts and of course I tasted the garlic. I'll add that I am not a big fan of uncooked garlic. Kind of a pleasant taste, but it took another taste. I did not taste the zest at all and the spinach seemed like more of a binder, but we'll let it set a while...

I can see using this in a cold chicken wrap and also as a steak topping, letting the steak warm up the pesto. Actually, I'm really thinking a steak topping... so much that I just might cook steak tonight for dinner

Just recently I noticed a bitter taste with some of the walnuts that I was munching. I had a careful look and the ones that were bitter had some areas of really dark "skin". When I scraped off the dark bits of skin, no more bitter taste. I have been checking for dark skin on my walnuts for the past month or so and haven't had the problem since. I heard that you have to rub the skins off English walnuts to prevent a bitter taste.

And I keep walnuts in the freezer too. You don't even need to defrost them to chop them.

[pacanis]

The walnuts I used in my pesto were kept in the freezer. They tasted like walnuts, but walnuts to me have that little bit of a bitter taste to them. Your mileage may very ;^)