Tag: tarragon
Sausage and Green Bean Pasta
This is a perfect dish to make for this season as the basil season is coming to an end. I cut down all my basil and made a big batch of pesto to freeze. It is a great way to enjoy some summer flavors in a few month!
Pesto
- 3 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 cups basil
- ¼ cup tarragon
- ¼ cup parsley
- Salt
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (or more if needed)
Add the garlic, cheese, pine nuts, lemon zest and lemon juice to a processor. Process for a minute and add the basil, tarragon, parsley and salt. Process for a minute and gradually add the oil while the machine is still on. Taste for seasonings and keep aside.
- 8 oz tender green beans, trimmed
Add the green beans to boiling water. Bring back to a boil and take out and dip into cold water to retain the color. Take out and keep aside.
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 links chicken sausage, casings taken off and crumbled
- ½ pound pasta, cooked al dente
- Salt to taste
Heat a frying pan with the olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and sauté on a medium high heat, stirring constantly for 5 to 6 minutes till golden brown. Add the pasta and green beans. Add enough pesto to coat everything and mix well. Add salt if needed and serve.
Fresh Herbs and Pistachio Pesto served with Zucchini Pasta
Pesto (basil) symbolizes summer for me- the color, taste and smell is all warm weather goodness. I usually grow a lot of basil in the back yard to make abundant pesto and freeze for the winter. I am then able to use it year round- although it tastes best in the summer.
I love using basil pesto in pastas, salads and on meats. Of course, I also use it to make my super easy and fast meatballs. It is instant boost of flavor in any dish. It is definitely a staple in my fridge. I think my favorite way is to pair it with shrimp and pasta- the flavor of pesto and the crustaceans go fabulously well.
The other day my friend Nancy, called to tell me about a pistachio pesto she made for her family. She served it with pasta and zucchini. I had just been to the farmers market and bought some fabulous looking summer squash. I decided to make the pesto for a get together- I was planning on making a boneless leg of lamb. I thought I could make the pasta with grated zucchini and serve it to the kids- the rest I would add the pesto for the adults- perfect! I love when I come up with a fabulous menu.
Nancy emailed me the recipe and I made it with the fresh herbs growing in my backyard. I tweaked the recipe a bit- the original asked for parsley and mint- I added tarragon to the mix. I also switched the parmesan cheese with pecorino since it (pecorino) has a stronger flavor and I like it better. The last thing I added was lemon juice and zest- to give it an extra boost of goodness. The pesto was absolutely delicious! I used it all up in the pasta- I will definitely be making more soon to serve on top of salmon.
There are so many different ingredients to make pestos these days. I think the pistachio one is definitely going to be part of my repertoire. I am now motivated to research some other ones- possibly with sun dried tomatoes!