There are certain recipes that I have been using for decades. This is one of them. Infact I have never  buy ready-made pesto because this recipe is SO good and is SO easy to make. Not to mention that I’m sure many of you have been growing your own basil. (Right?).  This will be a  great recipe to use so you could take advantage of the fresh basil that is available right now.

The recipe is called Pesto Genovese and it’s taken from New Recipes from Moosewood Restaurant (which has been used so much that it has broken in half). If you like this Pesto Genovese recipe, I might even blog about Pesto Di Nocce next!!

Here’s what you need:

You need: 5 ingredients.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, pressed

1/3 cup chopped walnuts, almonds or pine nuts (pine nuts are the best but they are $$$…I used almonds this time)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup olive oil

salt to taste

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Whirl the basil, garlic, nuts and Paremesan in a blender or food processor (I use my Cuisinart) until well mixed.

Step One

2. Then add the olive oil in a slow, steamy stream until a smooth paste is formed.

Step 2

3. Drop a dollop of Pesto on each serving of hot pasta and bingo you have a wonderful aromatic meal.

FINAL RESULT:

Goodness.

The recipe states that you may refrigerate the Pesto for several weeks in an airtight jar. Cover the sauce with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent from discolouring.

Serve this with a mixed green salad and some bruschetta and you’ve got yourself a lovely meal.

Happy Cooking!

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Fact: I keep a dairy kitchen. That’s right – I have not bought meat for over 20 years. I don’t know how much a chicken even costs and I would have no idea how to prepare chicken, if I ever had the opportunity.

However I buy fish. Mostly salmon, tilipia, canned tuna and canned salmon and on the rare occasion a whole snapper. I only make it once a week and I must admit, that my list of “Fish Recipes” is limited. But last week, I went online, determined to find a new recipe. I saw one that caught my eye, tried it and decided it was a keeper. Not only did it look gorgeous (I happen to like green) but the spinach pesto kept the tilapia really moist.

You will notice that the blog post has two recipes. The “formal” recipe and then the “adapted” recipe!!

Spinach Pesto Tilapia (from www.about.com)

INGREDIENTS:

Pesto:

• 3 cups baby spinach leaves, packed, about 3 ounces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1/3 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
• 2 medium cloves garlic, smashed and minced
• salt and pepper
• 8 tilapia fillets

INSTRUCTIONS:

Lightly butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. Heat oven to 400°

1. In a food processor, pulse the 3 cups of spinach leaves, 1/4 cup olive oil, pecan halves, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until the mixture is a fine consistency.

2. Arrange remaining spinach leaves over the bottom of the baking dish.

3. Place a tilapia fillet on the bed of spinach and put about 1 tablespoon of the pesto mixture on the fillet. Spread lightly to cover most of the fillet. Repeat with remaining fillets and pesto, overlapping fish slightly as needed. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

4.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tilapia flakes easily with a fork.

ADAPTED VERSION: (according to Vicky…who didnt really read the recipe carefully till afterwards). Typical!! There is probably a good reason why I follow a blog called www.norcecipes.com!

1. Prepare the pesto (I even forgot the pecan halves and the parmesan cheese and it still tasted DELICIOUS)

love my cuisinart

2. Spread the pesto on top of each piece of tilapia and place on a baking sheet

3. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes

4. Here’s what the final product looked like, before I served it to my guests:

Sometimes I don’t follow a recipe and it still works!! In this case…I was lucky. The fish came out perfectly.

Happy Cooking…whether you follow the first recipe or the adapted recipe!!

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