Pesto

I used some of the ramps to make a pungent pesto. I had no pine nuts, and I knew that some recipes called for other nuts, such as walnuts and sometimes sunflower seeds, so I decided to use some pistachios.

Because I think that pesto is at its best when really fresh, I wanted to make a small batch, so I tried using the Cuisinart immersion blender and the cup it came in, but no. Ah, no. That was a no-go. I switched over to my food processor, which is a little big for small batches, so I had to add a little bit of water and keep scraping down the sides of the bowl, but it all worked out in the end.

This pesto is lovely, with quite a mighty bite! With the ramps in their raw form, the pesto was a little too strong for my kids, so the next time I make this, I may blanch the ramps first to reduce some of their pungency.

I had the pesto on crostini to accompany our lunch of roasted cauliflower and cheddar soup.

Then for dinner, I made a pesto pizza with slices of fresh tomato, because what pairs better with pesto than mozzarella and tomato? Besides, it's PIZZA.

Ramps Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup roasted, salted pistachios
• 1/2 cup packed basil leaves
• 1 bunch of 3or 4 small ramps, whites and leaves, coarsely 
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan 
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil - I used a little less than 1/4 cup
• a few tablespoons of water as needed
• kosher salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
• a smidge of lemon zest to taste

Directions:

1. Blend everything in a food processor, scraping down the sides until you get the consistency you like - I happen to like a pesto on the chunky side versus one that is very liquidy, but the beauty of pesto is that it is easy to make adjustments.
2. Serve immediately or store tightly covered in the fridge with a small layer of olive oil on top to help keep it from browning.

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Yellow Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Purple Pesto

Tomato and basil is one of my favorite flavor combinations out there. I often use pesto on pizza and top it with slices of tomatoes, top it with aged mozzarella and dot it with fresh mozzarella. Not a bad pizza.

I love cherry tomatoes. I've had some recently that were so sweet that snacking on them was almost like snacking on candy. I also like stuffing them with a variety of things: herbed goat cheese, feta & kalamatas, pieces of marinated or smoked mozzarella, the list goes on and on. By far, my favorite stuffing is pesto. Today I wanted to do a mix-up using yellow cherry tomatoes instead of red, and purple pesto instead of green.

Still pretty damned tasty.  :)

Yellow Cherry Tomatoes Stuffed with Purple Pesto

Purple Pesto 

Ingredients:

• 1/8 cup garlic scapes, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1-1/2 cups purple basil
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup good quality Parmigiano-Reggiano, you know, the fancy parmesan

Directions:

1. Place the scapes in a food processor and pulse until pretty well minced
2. Add the pine nuts and process until the mixture is very well chopped.
3. Toss in the purple basil and parm and process. Drizzle in the olive oil until your get the consistency you prefer.

Purple basil

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