May 28, 2016

Michelle’s Pesto Sauce with Baby Asparagus

Here is a flavorful vibrant pesto sauce that was created by my daughter, Michelle. She lives in Sarasota Florida where they have a bountiful farmers market in the center of town each Saturday. This market features an abundance of Florida’s fresh organic vegetables and greens. She visits the market weekly to pick up her supply of veggies and fruit and was inspired to create this pesto sauce. it is retains its rich vibrant green color with a secret ingredient…..lemon juice

Here we featured it with the addition of baby asparagus with our homemade potato gnocchi.

Recipe Type: Sauce

Cuisine: Italian

Author: 3 Italian Sisters

Ingredients

1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese
2 tsp. pine nuts
1/2 cup water
Juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp. salt/ pepper
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
FOR THE PASTA SAUCE 1 lb baby asparagus, trimmed

Instructions

Blend the basil, parsley, cheese, pine nuts and water, lemon juice, salt, pepper in blender…pulse until blended, scrape down sides and blend to combine ingredients.
Pour in the olive oil in a thin stream with the blender on low and combine to form a smooth sauce. Add more oil or water as necessary to make a smooth paste.
taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.
Make ahead and storing: Store leftover pesto in a jar, tightly sealed and refrigerate for up to a week. Freeze the pesto in a plastic container for up to 2-3 months.
You can freeze in oiled ice cube trays and pop out small portions and bag them for later use.
**Asparagus- Warm the pesto sauce in a skillet, add the tiny asparagus with a 1/4 cup of reserved pasta water or chicken broth and let sauce simmer gently until asparagus is tender.
Add sauce to your favorite pasta. Yummy
Kathleen Barbato….3 Italian Sisters..

Here we featured the pesto sauce with the addition of baby asparagus tossed with our beautiful homemade potato gnocchi