A recent trip to Boston's Haymarket (and a steal of a deal on a pillow sized bag of baby spinach) got me thinking outside the basil box when it comes to pesto. I love any greens once they have been thoroughly blended with olive oil, garlic, and parmesan! Arugula, parsley, or some combination of all of the above, will be just as delicious.
The measurements below are just a jumping-off point... keep adjusting to taste as it blends and you really can't go wrong!*
2 cups lightly packed baby spinach leaves (about 2 ounces)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
3-5 cloves of garlic, toasted with the skin on and peeled
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 to 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
If you're serving this on pasta right away, boil your noodles and add about a 1/4 cup of pasta water to thin and smooth out the pesto.
Combine the spinach, pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, and lemon peel in a processor. Lightly pulse. With the machine running, gradually add the oil, blending until the mixture is creamy. Add the salt, pepper, and parmesan and pulse.
*I double this recipe, but never end up using the whole batch right away. I like to freeze about half of it in small portions for later.
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