Arugula Pesto Recipe

Tomorrow at the Old Town Scottsdale Farmers Market Mary will be sampling an Arugula Pesto on Noble’s Country Bread.  This recipe is a nice alternative to a traditional pesto made with basil, as the Arugula gives a slight peppery kick.  You can, however, substitute the arugula for basil and make this the traditional way too.  With the abundance of arugula and basil we have during certain times of the year, I like to make double and triple batches and then freeze some for later.  Directions to freeze are below.  Just make sure you put it in an air tight container, or a baggie and squeeze an remaining air out before freezing.

Arugula Pesto Recipe

Ingredients:
• 2 cups Organic Arugula
• ½ cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• ½ lemon, juiced
• pinch of kosher salt
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:
1. In the bowl of a food processor, add the arugula, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, garlic, lemon and kosher salt and pulse for 30 seconds to one minute.

2. Turn the processor onto blend and slowly drizzle the olive oil into the mixture and process until blended. Season with salt and blend once more.

3. May be refrigerated for one week. To make ahead and freeze, cut the olive oil by half, and then add remaining half when thawing at a later date.  Can thaw under warm water or in a sauce pan over low heat.