pesto recipe without nuts
Pesto Recipe Without Nuts
Although the original recipe of pesto needs nuts, this creates a problem for those people who are allergic. To solve this problem we present pesto recipes which do not require any kind of nuts to be added in them.
Pesto is actually a sauce that is used mainly in the Italian food and especially in Italian pasta recipes. Historically, this sauce was made with the help of the mortar and pestle; using several herbs like basil, cilantro, and garlic. In traditional recipes, pine nuts are the key ingredient that a real aficionado prefers to die for! The reason is, that they add a distinct taste and certain special texture to the sauce. However, what about the people who like pesto without nuts? Well, here is some help as I present some mouth-watering nutless pesto recipes.
Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- Parmesan cheese, 3 oz (grated)
- Ice cubes, 4 cups
- Basil, 1 bunch
- Extra virgin olive oil, 1 cup
- Garlic, 3 cloves
- Black pepper, (freshly ground)
- Salt to taste
- Pluck the basil leaves, and discard the stems.
- Take a large bowl and place the ice cubes in it. Now add 2 quarts of cold water into it and place a strainer atop it to get ice water.
- Take a large saucepan and add 3 quarts of water to it and bring it to boil. Add garlic to the boiling water and cook for mere 30 seconds.
- Take out the garlic with a slotted spoon and add basil leaves to the water.
- Cook the basil leaves for 15 seconds and place them instantly in the ice water.
- Cool off the basil leaves for over a minute and drain well. Place both, the cooked garlic and basil leaves in the food processor and grind well.
- Add olive oil and grind again until finely blended.
- Add salt and black pepper and mix it well.
- Now drizzle generous amount of Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan cheese) and savor your basil pesto without nuts!
- Fresh cilantro, 2 cups
- Fresh parsley, 1 cup
- Chili-lime or roasted cashews, 1 cup
- Asiago cheese, 1/2 cup (grated)
- Extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup
- Lemon juice, 3 tablespoons
- Cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon
- Black pepper, 1 teaspoon
- Salt, to taste
- Take the container of the food processor and add cilantro leaves, parsley leaves, cashews, lemon juice, black pepper, salt, cayenne pepper, olive oil, and the Asiago cheese.
- Blend well until you get a very fine and smooth texture of the sauce.
- You can add cashews to thicken the pesto and olive oil to make it thin.
- You can use it as it is or freeze it for a while and then have it, as you wish! Enjoy!
- You can spread this pesto over pizza, with a combination of red sauce or cream sauce and Alfredo sauce.
- You can stir it with a risotto or mashed potatoes!
- Mixing this into mayonnaise can prove to be a great addition as a burger topping or as a sandwich spread.
- You can also apply this into omelet folds or just whisk with scrambled eggs.