From Publishers Weekly
Nazzaro's "manifesto" proves yet again that too much of a good thing is still too much. Pesto is one of the simplest and best pasta embellishments. Since leftover pesto is too good to discard, recipes like pesto bread, an alternative to garlic bread, are welcome. A few dishes make moderately interesting use of pesto (stuffed winter squash, smothered rabbit, tortellini, vegetables and fish, and a couple of salad dressings), but creativity runs awry with pesto hot dogs and Ritzy pesto (Ritz crackers topped with crunchy peanut butter, catsup, pesto and red onion). Many of the recipes are merely standard fare with a pesto enhancement: lentil soup, meat loaf, potato salad, guacamole, gazpacho and salsa. There is even a cheesecake with two teaspoons of pesto. Determined to "pestocize," amateur cook Nazzaro recommends that certain leftovers, "often found, several days later, unwanted and dried out in the refrigerator," will benefit from a pesto garnish. As with too many other suggestions advanced here, this sounds like a waste of good pesto.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
from chapter 5
Arugula Pesto
Nothing beats "classic pesto" (see chapter 6), but with more people growing herbs and vegetables, the inclination to grind various ingredients is facilitated by the food processor.
I have created the following recipes with imaginative combinations of whatever is available in my garden. These delicious departures serve as wonderful interims between our old friend the standard classic to which we regularly and inevitable return.
1.5 cups of arugula
.5 cup of olive oil
1 large clove of garlic
1 teaspoon horseradish
2 tablespoons cashews or walnuts
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
To make arugula pesto, simply put ingredients in a food processor and blend until the nuts are coarsely chopped.
Cremini Mushroom Pasta
Here is a recipe using Arugula Pesto (see the above recipe).
1 pound spaghetti
10 tablespoons arugula pesto
2 pounds cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
.75 pound soft goat cheese, crumbled
4 tablespoons chopped fresh arugula
salt and pepper, to taste
While pasta is cooking prepare the remaining ingredients.
In a large skillet, warm 2 tablespoons of pesto. Add half the mushrooms, and sauté for about 3 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl, and repeat the process with the remaining mushrooms.
When the spaghetti is cooked al dente, reserve half a cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta. Return the pasta to the cooking pot, and add mushrooms, goat cheese, remaining 6 tablespoons pesto, reserved pasta water, and the arugula. Toss gently and season with salt and pepper.
