Thursday, April 12, 2012

4-12…Spaghetti with Swiss Chard pesto


Once again we have Kristi and Mark to thank for our dinner.  They were kind enough to share some of their fine Swiss Chard with me, and tonight it will become a pesto for our pasta.  Adding to the newness of tonight’s dish will be a brand of imported pasta I found at Tuesday Morning.  (A fun place to shop – there is always something new, and often exotic.).  It is a semolina pasta imported from the southern Italian region of Calabria.




INGREDIENTS:

Pasta
Swiss Chard
Pine nuts
Olive oil
Parmigiano cheese


PROCESS:

Rinse and coarsely chop the chard and cook for about 10 minutes in boiling water.  Drain and allow it to cool before adding it to the food processor along with the cheese, pine nuts, and olive oil.  Blend to creamy consistency and add salt and pepper to taste.

(I used a basic basil pesto recipe as a guide; it calls for 2 cups of basil leaves, ½ cup of oil, ¼ cup of cheese, and 3 tablespoons of pine nuts.)

COMMENTS:

I do believe I like the chard pesto better than the basil.  The best word to describe the flavor of this dish is “pleasant”.  It invites you to have more.

Coming up next…Kale pesto

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