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Basil Arugula and Walnut Pesto
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 1 cup
 
Pesto is not just for pasta, and while store-bought versions are really quite good, they are never as good as homemade. From scrambled eggs to meat marinades, it’s always nice to have a jar of this in my fridge. I love the peppery kick of the arugula and I substituted walnuts for pinenuts because pinenuts are just so darn expensive. For a nut-free version, omit nuts altogether, or use seeds like pumpkin or sunflower instead. I like to make a big batch of this in the summertime when basil is cheap and abundant. I freeze it in little containers and it keeps me going through the fall.
Ingredients
  • ½ cup walnuts, toasted
  • 1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 cup packed basil
  • 1 cup packed arugula, washed well
  • ½ cup parsley
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, pecorino Romano, or nutritional yeast (see notes)
  • ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
Method
  1. Toast walnuts in a dry sauté pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes until fragrant and slightly browned. Transfer to bowl to cool slightly.
  2. Purée chopped garlic in a food processor or mortar and pestle. Add toasted nuts and grated cheese (or nutritional yeast) and continue to pulse or grind until you have a coarse paste. Add basil, arugula, and parsley, pulsing or grinding with pestle, scraping down the sides as you go, until herbs break down into thick green paste. Season with salt. This will obviously take longer with a mortar and pestle, pulsing takes just a few minutes, whereas by hand up to 10 minutes.
  3. With food processor running drizzle in olive oil until incorporated or add olive oil into mortar, stirring with pestle until paste forms.
  4. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary.
  5. Store in an airtight container with a drizzle of olive oil overtop or with a layer of plastic wrap touching the surface of the pesto. Both methods help prevent oxidation which discolours the top layer of pesto. Homemade pesto will keep in the fridge for up to a week or freeze in smaller storage containers or ice cube trays for up to 4 months.
Tizz's Tips
Nutritional Yeast is an amazing dairy free cheese alternative, introduced to me by my vegan friends because of its high vitamin B content. It looks like larger flaked grated Parmesan and has the slightly salty, nutty, and melty quality of Parmesan. My kids like it so I can easily swap it for cheese in certain recipes. It also lasts longer than freshly grated Parmesan and is way cheaper. Try it sprinkled on popcorn.
Pesto Tips:
Go all basil for the traditional version or for the more adventurous, try substituting 1 cup of kale, collards, or Swiss chard for the arugula.
This is a sauce that requires no cooking; however don’t be afraid to cook with it.
I add only one clove of garlic. Personally, I find this enough, especially if you want it to be kid friendly.