Parsley Pesto

I love, seriously, really, love pesto! Every time I make it and taste it, I say to myself, "I need to make this more often!". Pesto is an amazing flavor combination and it is so incredibly versatile.

Today I made a parsley pesto...best with flat leaf (Italian parsley) it has more flavor, but plain curly parsley works too.

Once you have your pesto you can use it in a myriad of ways - as a topping for crostini, as a spread on a sandwich, as a way to dress up simple grilled or broiled chicken breasts, stir it into some hot pasta for a fabulous side dish, add a spoonful to soup to really brighten up things - add some feta cheese and use it as a filling for stuffed mushrooms, add some to cottage cheese for an instant veggie dip, put some in an omelet, on a savory crepe, in lasagna - the possibilities are endless...sometimes I just eat a spoonful!

Parsley Pesto

• 1-2 bunches coarsly chopped parsley, thick stems discarded
• 3 cloves garlic, rough chopped
• 2-4 Tbs olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted if desired)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
• 1 tsp dried Tarragon

Combine about 1/2 cup of parsley, garlic and salt in food processor and process until blended, add remaining parsley and black pepper and process until parsley is chopped fine. With motor running add in olive oil and process until a thick pesto forms, add pine nuts, parm and tarragon and process briefly

You can always use basil instead of parsley for classic pesto, use spinach, use arugula - have fun with it! Oh, and you can use walnuts instead of pine nuts too!