Spinach & Basil Pesto

Pesto is a refreshing summer specialty at our home. We pluck fresh basil leaves to make caprese salad and sandwich for a quick meal or snack. And there's pesto in all its glory to season pasta. I hardly use basil leaves alone to make pesto, because I feel guilty to uproot an entire plant's worth of leaves to make about 3/4 -1  cup of pesto, especially because I am stingy with the amounts of olive oil and parmesan I add. So, I usually include avocados and spinach to make pesto that's a little more nutritious, and also a little bulkier in volume.

My dad was quite curious about basil leaves and pesto. So, I knew I had to make some pesto soon. After a series of successful culinary experiments with them, I knew pesto would be a piece of cake - literally :). Needless to say, both of them liked the pesto. My mom thought it tasted similar to betel leaves and oregano leaves crushed together with garlic... Hmmm, not sure if that's saying something else about my pesto! But, this is a simple recipe that works for me!

So, here's how I make my spinach & basil pesto. In the series of simple cooking staples that I have been posting, I thought pesto would feature well.

Avocado Basil Pesto

Our pot of basil was fast succumbing to the cold, so I salvaged what was left (which wasn't much), and added some avocados on hand to whip up some creamy pesto.

This pesto tastes creamy and nutty with subtle and refreshing flavors of lemon and basil.

Ingredients (yields about 3 cups of pesto):

1.  3 ripe avocados, remove the pit and chop
2.  3 lemons
1. zest of 1 lemon
2. juice from all 3 lemons
3. juice of 1 lime
4. 3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
5. 1.25 cups basil
6. 1/4 cup flat-leaf parsley
7. 4-5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8. 1/2 cup mixed nuts (mix together some chopped almonds, pistachios and walnuts worth 1/2 cup)
9. 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
10.  Salt as needed
11. Freshly cracked black pepper, as needed

Preparation:

1. I don't have a food processor, so I struggle to breakdown the basil in an ordinary blender. So this is what I do - I add chopped avocados, the juice of 3 lemons, the zest of 1 lemon, and 3 cloves of garlic and pulse/grind with 2 tablespoons of oil. 
2. When the garlic and avocados are ground, add mixed nuts and some more oil and grind. The nuts don't have to be ground to a smooth paste. Bites of it add to the texture of the pesto. 
3. Finally add basil and parsley (and some oil if needed) and grind to desired consistency. I recently learned that parsley helps retain the vibrant green of the pesto and retards browning because it is rich in Vitamin C. That's why I added parsley - not for the flavor, just for its role in keeping the pesto green.
4. Transfer pesto to a bowl, add salt, pepper and juice of 1 lime. Mix well. You can either add parmesan now, or add it while serving with pasta.

Mix pesto with warm pasta, toss well and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and some parmesan.