This dressing is a perfect accompaniment for so many different kinds of salads. I had loved this type of dressing offered at a local restaurant, but was unable to find it at any stores so I made one myself. I was prepared to think it wasn’t as good, but I actually love it and I think you will too! The maple syrup gives it just the right sweetness needed.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup tahini
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup
Cold water
In a small mixing bowl whisk together all of the ingredients except for the water. Using very cold water, add a little at a time until dressing reaches your desired consistency.
Last night I had intended on just making pasta with pesto for dinner, but then had a craving for something a little more creamy. I decided to add a little cream sauce spin to my homemade pesto and it was absolutely delicious! If you are like me and love cream sauce, you will love this creamy pesto. The addition of the cream is subtle and not as heavy as an alfredo sauce, but satisfies that craving for creaminess you may be having.
First I will give you the recipe for my pesto, then further down the blog you will see how to make it into a cream sauce.
Here are the ingredients for my regular pesto:
4 oz. of fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp. minced garlic
Pepper to taste
Add basil, cheese, garlic, and pepper to a food processor.
Turn on the processor and add the olive oil slowly.
Let it run until the basil is finely chopped and all the ingredients are combined.
Oh that smell, wow!
Since nothing goes better with basil than tomatoes, I decided to cut up some grape tomatoes to add to the pasta and pesto.
This is where I would usually stop and be so happy with this meal. I love fresh pesto on pasta.
But I didn’t stop, and this is where things started getting crazy and I decided to bust out the heavy cream.
Heat 1/2 cup of heavy cream and 2 tbsp. of butter in a saucepan until the butter is melted and the cream is starting to boil while being careful not to let the cream burn. Whisk in a 1/2 cup of grated cheese and simmer for a few minutes until it starts to thicken slightly.
Whisk the pesto into the cream sauce mixture and cook for a few minutes.
Doesn’t that look pretty?
Pour the sauce over your pasta of choice, add the tomatoes, stir, and serve.
If your family is anything like mine, you will be listening to happy eating sounds and praises through the entire dinner. Yum!
Fresh basil, cheese, olive oil, and garlic, those ingredients just scream yummy. Pesto is such an easy thing to make, and the freshness of it just can not be beat. As an added bonus, your house will smell so good!
A little pesto goes a long way on pasta, and the leftovers can easily be frozen for another time.
Ingredients:
4 oz. of fresh basil
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 grated parmesan cheese
2 tsp. minced garlic
pepper to taste
You need quite a bit of basil, so make sure to buy, or pick, enough. I only use the leaves and not the stems.
Since I was using a mini chopper to combine all of the ingredients, I had to make the pesto in batches. I would combine about 1/4 of the ingredients, and then add more.
Be sure to pulse the chopper long enough so there are no large pieces of basil.
Doesn’t that just look so good?
After I mixed it with some pasta, I grated a little more parmesan on the top. You can never have enough cheese 🙂
I usually have a sauciness in my personality, but due to my post-holiday sluggishness, the only sauciness I can muster today is red sauciness. All of the leftovers are gone, and before I cuddle up under a blanket on this cold rainy winter day, it is time to get saucy. I am in for the rest of the day and looking forward to filling my home once again with wonderful cooking smells.
I think you would be surprised at how many different variations and recipes there are for red sauce. My sauce recipe, which came from my mother, includes sugar which I hadn’t realized was actually a big deal to some people. Years ago I was asked by an Italian woman if I was a “sugar or no sugar in sauce” person. I was surprised by the question, and even more surprised by the look on her face when I said “sugar”. As you can probably guess, she was not.
As I mentioned in my Weeknight Bolognese blog, I am not a huge fan of red sauce unless it has cream in it. However, as far as red sauce goes, I really like this recipe and have never wanted to change it. This recipe makes a lot and even if you are using it for chicken parmesan or lasagna, you will still have plenty left to freeze and use another time.
One thing to keep in mind is that I don’t really measure any of the ingredients, I just eyeball it so these measurements are approximate.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped yellow onion
1 tsp. Minced Garlic
2 – 6oz. cans of tomato paste
2 – 28oz. cans ground tomatoes
2 tsps. salt
3/4 tsp. pepper
2 tsps. dried oregano
1 1/2 tsps. dried basil
2 tsps. dried parsley
1 tbsp. sugar
1/3 cup red wine
Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over low/medium heat. Saute chopped onion in oil until it starts to get soft, about 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, be careful to stir frequently and watch the garlic as it burns quickly.
Add the 2 cans of tomato paste, then use the empty cans to add 5 cans of water. Stir until the paste starts to mix with the water. Add the ground tomatoes and stir well. Add the rest of the ingredients.
Stir well and cover with the lid cracked. Simmer over low heat for at least an hour, but preferably longer. Stir frequently so that the sauce does not burn.
