What's for Dinner? Part 9.

It's been a while since I've added a recipe or tried something new, and I got inspired last week after watching a couple episodes of 'Giada' (and The Food Network) which I like to have on in the background when I'm working from home.  I made my Gnocchi Mac & Cheese the other day for Jamie so I'm still cooking and working on perfecting my recipes but I've got a new one and am excited to start coming up with some new stuff in the kitchen!

Thick Pesto!

Arugula Pesto

1 Cup Packed Arugula

1 Clove Garlic

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

1/3 Cup Parmesan & Mozzarella Cheese

Salt & Pepper

I pulled out Jessica's Food Processor which made this recipe a breeze!  I put the arugula into the Processor using the normal blade, and added in my clove of garlic after cutting it in half.  I did a quick chop, turning the Processor on for a few seconds and then off again.  Next, I added in the olive oil slowly (I actually eye-balled the pour) until the mixture was moist, and put in the cheese as well, making sure it was well-mixed and added salt and pepper last.  I tasted it to make sure the flavoring was right, then scraped the sides of the Processor and did one more quick spin with a little more salt.

Arugula Pesto with Tortellini and Pasta

Once the Pesto was made I put it into a sauce pan and heated it up to put over my Tortellini and Pasta.  It will separate a little because of the oil, but if you stir it up, it all blends back together.  I used about a 3/4 cup of dry pasta and 12 Tortellini's and the pasta was completely covered by the Arugula but I like a lot of sauce so it was perfect! 

My only disappointment about the Pesto was that it wasn't as flavorful as a Cilantro Pesto and perhaps I should have added more cheese and a little less oil.  I have an amazing Pesto Recipe I got from a friend, and it's got Rice Wine Vinegar and Honey in it, and is by far the best Pesto I've ever had, so this recipe had big Competition.  The great thing about this Arugula Pesto Recipe is that it only requires a few ingredients that most people would have in their fridge or pantry and having a Food Processor to mix it, makes it easy breezy :)