Spicy Basil Pesto
Spicy Basil Pesto ~ Serrano pepper takes the world's freshest sauce from simple to sassy in one fell swoop ~ stir it into freshly boiled pasta, spread it over grilled fish, spoon it on a baked potato, or soak it up with a torn piece of bread, it makes all other sauces obsolete.
Servings: 1 cup
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1 Serrano pepper
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
- a couple of good fistfuls of fresh basil leaves, about 2 packed cups
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- olive oil, start with 1/2 cup, add more as needed to make a loose sauce
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Drop the garlic clove into a food processor while it is running, and run the machine until the garlic is finely minced.
- Trim the stem off the hot pepper and slice it in chunks. Add it to the machine, seeds and all, while it is running, and wait until it is finely minced.
- Next add the pine nuts and Parmesan cheese and process until everything is smooth. Add the basil and lemon juice and pulse, scraping down the sides of the machine a few times, until the basil has broken down. Drizzle in the olive oil while processing. Process until the pesto is as smooth as you like. It can be chunky or smooth, it's your choice.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper, and add more olive oil if you want a looser pesto.
- Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container, and use within 10 days.
Notes
- This is a small batch recipe, double or triple the ingredients for more. For a small batch I use my mini food processor, but move up to your full size machine for larger amounts.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Tbsp · Calories: 78 kcal · Carbohydrates: 1 g · Protein: 1 g · Fat: 8 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 5 g · Cholesterol: 1 mg · Sodium: 11 mg · Potassium: 26 mg · Fiber: 0.1 g · Sugar: 0.1 g · Vitamin A: 168 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 12 mg · Iron: 0.3 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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