You Will Taste the Love in This Easy Rucola Pesto Recipe

This pesto recipe was a bit of an improvisation so I could use up some ingredients I had on hand.

And it worked! And now it is a staple in my kitchen.

Of course this is actually a too easy recipe.

Including prep time, it takes about 10 minutes to make. T

Took me longer to take the pictures.

This pesto is so easy to make and yet it ads a bit of a gourmet touch to your dinner.

Now this rucola pesto recipe is not only really easy to make, it tastes like heaven and it is a hell of a lot cheaper than the original version.

This time round it was almost free.

Traditionally pesto is made with basil leaves and pine nuts. But since it is too cold yet for the basil to grow in the garden I’d have to buy it, and pine nuts are crazy expensive. So I went with alternatives.

Last year I sowed some rocket / rucola / arugula in my garden. It somehow survived the winter (or the seeds did) and it is growing rampant right now.

In fact it is about to start forming blooms, so I wanted to use it fast.

What better way to turn it into pesto. And I still have walnuts left from the stash I got from friends, this Fall.

And so it happened.

From previous experience I know that the rocket needs something to balance its bitterness, so I added some dried tomatoes to add a bit of sweetness to it.

And of course a good honking of cheese is necessary too.

And I have already tasted spoon fulls of the stuff. It is good. My guy is going to be happy and he will surely ‘taste the love’ tonight.

Maybe that will be a good time to bring up my plans for my next DIY project….

Anyway if you need to score some points with the people in your life too, try this pesto recipe. It will work.

Notes:

Roast the nuts in a dry hot pan. It isn’t strictly necessary but it will make it all taste just that much better.

For the cheese: parmezan works well, but I have also used very old Dutch Gouda cheese, I bet some old tasty cheddar would work too, just make sure the cheese has a good bit of flavor.

If you grow your own rocket, wash it thoroughly and than spin dry. You don’t want to water your pesto down.

When blending, start with a good splash of oil so the knives have something to twirl that will get the rest of the ingredients moving. Every once in a while help everything along with a wooden spoon and scrape the sides of your container.

I had a lot of rocket so I made a large pot of pesto. This will keep for at least a week in the fridge if you make sure there is always a thin layer of oil on top. It also freezes well.

Serve with bread, or as a side dish, over pasta or add a dollop of it to your vegetable soup. Or eat it right of the spoon… Just saying.