Taste of Italy

OOH! I found this sicilian pesto recipe that I tried out last night. We loved it!! And its so much cheaper than buying pesto at the store. I put the pesto on a baguette and topped it with chicken and cheese and put it in the broiler till the cheese melted. Then we put some lettuce, tomato , roasted pepper, and voila! A delicious sandwich! Its one of the easiest recipes I've ever made! And very delightful! It made a lot of pesto, so tonight I'll probably put it on pasta, yum!
Gotta try it! But you have like pesto...or at least the tast of basil because that's pretty much the recipe! 2 TBS equals 51 calories, so don't be afraid of the 1/4 cup olive oil! Enjoy!

Sicilian Pesto

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3 garlic cloves
• 4 cups loosely packed basil leaves (about 2 ounces)
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 2 cups chopped seeded tomato, drained (about 2 large)

Preparation

1. Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add nuts to pan; cook 4 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring constantly. Remove from pan.

2. Combine nuts and garlic in a food processor; process until minced. Add basil, oil, salt, and peppers; process until blended, scraping sides occasionally. Add cheese; process until smooth. Spoon into a bowl; fold in tomato.