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.

Ingredients (yield = about 1/2 cup. The yield will be greater if you add more olive oil or cheese):

1. 1 cup of packed and heaped basil leaves
2. 1 cup of packed and heaped baby spinach
3. 1 big clove of garlic (or 2 cloves of garlic)
4. The zest of 1 lemon
5. The juice of 1/2 lemon (lemon helps retain the bright green color of the pesto even after days of refrigeration)
6. 1.5 tablespoons of walnuts + almonds, lightly toasted
7. slightly less than 1/4 cup of olive oil
8. 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
9. salt and pepper, as needed

Preparation:

1. Add washed basil and spinach leaves to a strong mixer/blender/food processor. Add garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and nuts and start pulsing. Pulse/grind until everything is broken down. 
2. Slowly drizzle in olive oil and grind until everything comes together. I used a strong Indian mixer and it finely ground the pesto to a smooth paste :). My pesto has never been this smooth! However, pesto is not supposed to be ground to a fine paste; it's nice to see bits of basil leaves floating in olive oil. So, the consistency of pesto is entirely up to you. 
3. Finally mix in parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. 

Mix pesto with freshly cooked hot pasta. Use in caprese salad or any salad. Or use as a dip or spread.