Lacking a food processor, I'd normally bypass a recipe like this one. But then I think about how back in January 2000 I could've skipped over the best pie in the universe because the streusel was to be prepared in a food processor. Can you imagine?!
adapted from Cooking Club of America
5 c packed baby spinach (5 oz.)
1/4 c packed fresh basil
1/4 c chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
8 oz. farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
1 lb. shelled, deveined uncooked jumbo shrimp (16-20), halved lengthwise
2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
Pulse garlic in food processor until minced. Add spinach, basil, walnuts, salt and pepper; pulse until chopped. With motor running, slowly add 3 tablespoons of the oil; process until mixture forms a paste.
1/4 c packed fresh basil
1/4 c chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
8 oz. farfalle (bow-tie pasta)
1 lb. shelled, deveined uncooked jumbo shrimp (16-20), halved lengthwise
2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
Pulse garlic in food processor until minced. Add spinach, basil, walnuts, salt and pepper; pulse until chopped. With motor running, slowly add 3 tablespoons of the oil; process until mixture forms a paste.
I started by putting the basil and spinach in the blender and let it chop. Seeing that not much was happening, I turned off the blender, stirred the greens with a fork, and cranked up the blender again. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Then I took the spinach and basil out (images 2 and 3, above) and then chopped it with a knife.
Everything went into the blender: garlic, chopped greens, nuts and oil, and then it magically became a pesto.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Meanwhile, heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in large deep skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Cook shrimp 4 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, stirring frequently.
Since I didn't have medium shrimp, I used jumbo shrimps and cut them lengthwise before cooking. During cooking they became spirals!
Stir in pasta, spinach mixture and tomatoes, adding enough of the reserved pasta water until of desired consistency.
Though I'd reserved it, I didn't use any cooking water.
What do you think? Is the result pleasing to the eye, does it make you salivate and clamor to get at it? Me either. The visual reminded me of Green Potato Salad. Thankfully, this dish tasted a million times better than that crazy side dish.
The spinach in the pesto was certainly prevalent and the walnuts provided just a hint of nuttiness. Personally, I would've preferred spinach taking a backseat to the basil. Should I do this again, I'll keep that in mind and stick to the four ounces of spinach originally called for rather than using 5 ounces.
Cost:
- garlic: $0.50
- spinach: $2.99
- basil: $1.65
- walnuts: $0.35
- farfalle: $0.75
- shrimp: $7.50 (buy one pound, get one free)
- tomatoes: $2.99
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