Zesto Pesto

From: lemon-yellow

On Dec 5, 2008

Okay, let me confess that I was previously not the biggest Pesto fan. I thought it was okay. But no more...this is a great Pesto recipe! For my batch, I used several types of basil from our fall garden explosion, giving the end product a pretty green and purple dotted color. Spinach makes this pesto a bit less intense than some others, but seems to make the basil taste and smell even fresher. Cashews bump up the nutty flavor and texture, and I now like them more than pine nuts. I did make some minor changes. I added 1/4 cup of green olives, because I had a feeling that another layer of salty/sweet would work, and it did. I was out of white wine (argh!), so I substituted Sanpellegrino Limonata (Italian Lemon Soda). Next time I will make sure there is wine in the house before I start, but the Limonata did not hurt it a bit. In fact, it is probably a good non-alcoholic option. But wow, double the recipe if you want enough Pesto to make it to the pasta. Wandering spoons may cause it to mysteriously disappear. (FYI: a double recipe stuffs a Cuisinart to the brim.) By the way, Basil is very good for you. It's a great source of vitamin K, flavonoids, has anti-inflammatory properties, as well as being a natural anti-bacterial herb that can help make uncooked food (such as garden greens) safer to eat. 5+ stars. Thank you, evelyn/athens

From: RecipeLeech

On Oct 5, 2008

This is delicious. I served it over Sea Scallops. It was a huge hit. Thanks for The Recipie!

From: Sashasmom

On Apr 5, 2005

This was excellent. I served it one night as an appetizer on toasted baguette and the next evening I put it on pasta. Thanks for the great recipe!

From: Skipper/Sy

On Mar 17, 2005

For the RSC#6, 2005 contest I had made and reviewed 3 recipes out of 190 which were entered. Now from the semi-finalists listing I have chosen this recipe to be my 4th review. I rarely eat pesto, however, after making this recipe I am now a "Zesto Pesto Eater". It was very, very good and easy to make. I liked the green coloring of the linguine and crunchy cashews too. Also, since I am single I cut the ingredients in half and still had perfect results. Thanks for this tasty creation.