I learned a valuable lesson from this week's cooking experience, and that is to read through the recipe preparation instructions before deciding to try the dish and buying all the ingredients for it. Late morning on the day I was going to try this recipe, I realized that the instructions called for the sauce to be made up in a food processor. Just my luck, I gave away my never-used food processor to a friend over two years ago. So, I figured I could make the sauce in the blender. Bad idea. Thankfully, my husband somehow made the sauce up for me by alternating between a mini-food chopper and the blender. If he hadn't done it, I would've surely given up early on and called for pizza. So, please be sure that you have a food processor before attempting this one.
After all that hassle to get this meal on the table, the Spinach Pesto Linguine wasn't all that great. My husband thought it would make a better side than a main dish. I just thought it needed more taste. We'd have to rate this one two-and-a-half stars-somewhere between just ok and pretty good. I will say, though, that this one was much better the second time around. Leftover linguine for lunch the next day was pretty darn good.
Have a good week and good eating!
Allison
Spinach Pesto Linguine1/2
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
16 oz. uncooked linguine
4 tsp. dried basil leaves
2 Tbsp. hot water
2 garlic cloves
5 oz. fresh spinach leaves
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. slivered almonds
¼ tsp. salt
¼ cup olive oil
2 tsp. lemon juice
Preparation:
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain. Place in a large serving bowl and cover to keep warm. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine basil and hot water; set aside. In food processor bowl with metal blade, process garlic until chopped. Add spinach, cheese, almonds and salt; process with on/off pulses until chopped. Add basil mixture and pulse to mix. Slowly add oil and lemon juice; process until well blended. Add spinach mixture to hot cooked pasta; toss gently to mix.
