A versatile winter pesto

Things are hard, dinner should be easy.

I’ve made this pesto every week since the start of winter. I don’t want to overstate its powers, but it brings brightness to the dark. Sure, the brightness is fleeting, but with a jar of this in the ‘fridge, you can rest assured you’ll always have something nice to eat at a moment’s notice. And that’s not worth nothing.

It’s not traditional, in that I add olives and lemon for brine and brightness. In this recipe I’ve also added toasted walnuts, but you can just as easily leave them out or substitute almonds. I’ve given you a basic groundwork for a recipe. Make it yours to suit what’s in your crisper drawer and what makes you happy.

The pesto is best made with baby arugula. The big leafy arugula is too bitter. And goodness knows we don’t need more bitter in our lives. If the large leaf is all you can find, substitute some Italian parsley and/or basil to temper it.

Baby arugula.

Consider the versatility of this pesto:

There’s the obvious: toss the pesto with pasta. I stock my refrigerator with packages of Trader Joe’s various flavors of ravioli ($3.79/box!). If I’m feeling fancy I might toss in a pat of butter and some roasted red peppers along with the pesto.

Make a special garlic bread: Mash the pesto with softened butter, slice a baguette in half, spread with the butter — even sprinkle liberally with shredded mozzarella if you want, and broil until golden and bubbly.

Instant dinner: Spread on a cod filet or salmon and bake at 350°F/180°C until done to your liking. Prefer chicken? Mix some pesto with a tablespoon or two of mayonnaise, slather on chicken breasts and bake. The mayonnaise helps keep the chicken juicy and the pesto from burning.

Speed round (and an insight into what I ate this January): Toss with boiled potatoes; Perk up frozen pizza after baking; Broil slices of tofu and spread with the pesto while still warm; Scrambled eggs are fond of pesto; Add to any salad dressing; Mix with roasted cauliflower; Smear on a grilled cheese sandwich; Add a big spoonful to chicken or tuna salad; Make a compound butter and use on grilled meats (steak, sure, but: lamb is extra super good); stir it into hummus or vegetable soup; and when no one cares about having a “real” dinner, I’ve been known to bake a Japanese white-fleshed sweet potato, split it open, spread pesto on top and sure, add more Parmesan.

One note: I love garlic more than anyone. ANYONE. I’m the person who doubles/triples garlic amounts in recipes. This recipe, however, is a time to show some restraint so the garlic flavor doesn’t overwhelm the arugula.

Podcast News:

In other news: Norman Eisen, one of the founders of The Contrarian, along with Jennifer Rubin, was my guest on The Secret Life of Cookies podcast this week. We had an interesting conversation about what it’s going to take to protect democracy. I hope you’ll give it a listen.

Arugula And Olive Pesto: Printable version

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Arugula and Olive Pesto

Makes 1 generous cup

What You’ll Need:

3 cups (72 grams; 2.6 ounces) baby arugula, washed and dried

1/4 cup (25 grams) roasted, chopped walnuts

2 large garlic cloves

1/2 cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup (50 grams) grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest

1/4 cup (approx 25 grams) pitted green or purple olives

Freshly ground black pepper (or red pepper flakes) to taste

What You’ll Do:

1. Add the garlic cloves to a food processor fitted with the chopping blade and pulse 2 or 3 times to mince the garlic. Add the walnuts, arugula, olives and lemon zest and pulse 5 to 6 times until the mixture is finely chopped. Scrape down the sides. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil through the feed tube, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl at least once. Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse once or twice to combine. Stir in black pepper or red pepper flakes if desired.

2. Store the mixture in a tightly sealed container for a week in the refrigerator, or in the freezer for longer storage.

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I have to say my thoughts on the recent assaults on our government institutions aren’t as worth printing as my brother David’s. Mine tend towards angry rants about Elon Musk and his gang who are camping out in government buildings on fold-out couches and paeans to the unsung civil servants who keep our government (and institutions) running no matter who the president is and how important collective institutional knowledge will be lost with these hideous attempts at purges …but, but, but, I yield the floor to David, because he is more eloquent (less rage-y) on the subject.

January 6 Was Nothing Compared to What We're Going Through Now

How are you feeling after this week’s onslaught? If you’re keeping it together, share how, and help a fellow citizen! And: how do you plan to use this versatile pesto?

Pupdates!

Evidence doggo and I may be related: our hair gets frizzy in humid weather.

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