Arugula Pesto

Ingredients

1/4 cup roasted, salted sunflower seeds

1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped

Finely grated zest and juice of 1 1/2 lemons

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

5 cups loosely packed baby arugula, divided

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup (2 ounces) finely shredded sheep’s milk cheese, such as pecorino Romano or pecorino Toscano

Generous 1/4 teaspoon fine salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Method
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sunflower seeds and garlic and pulse to finely chop. Add the lemon zest and juice, and pulse to combine. Add the parsley and 2 cups of the arugula, and pulse to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the machine running, add half of the oil in a slow, steady stream. Add another 2 cups of the arugula and pulse to combine. With the machine running, add the rest of the oil in a slow, steady stream. Add the cheese, salt and pepper and process until smooth. You should have about 1 3/4 cups. If not using right away, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate until needed.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *