Kitchen! Kitchen! "DO AS YOU WISH PESTO SAUCE"

This is kitchen! kitchen!'s own take on the traditional pesto sauce.  I will be using almonds (without the skin) instead of pine nuts.  I'm not too crazy about pine nuts. They spoil easily and has a slight bitter taste to it.  Plus, it makes me think of a "pine tree".  Who wants to put something "piney" in a dish?!  Almonds give little crunch to the sauce.  I keep a jar of toasted almonds in my kitchen for snacking and cooking. You could get those cuties in a large bag at Costco for almost nothing.  Well, they cost less than if you buy them at the supermarket in those little plastic containers.  I just toast them in the oven on a cookie sheet for about 10-11 minutes at 350 F let cool and keep in a jar covered.

What you need:

*  2-4 cloves crushed garlic
*  2 cups, packed (until unable to breath) coarsely chopped fresh
    (no brown spots please) basil leaves
*  (Alternative: flat parsley leaves)
*  Coarse Salt
*  1 tablespoon naked almonds (without the skin)
*  3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
*  1/2 to 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

What to do:

In a food processor, pulse (or pound to submission) garlic, basil, pinch salt, almonds and cheese into a paste.  Gradually blend in olive oil; adjust seasoning.  This keeps in the fridge for over a week as long
as you leave a film of olive oil just enough to cover the pesto.

Now what? ....... Serving suggestion:

*  Slather on a sliced of toasted Italian bread or French baguette
    when hunger pang strikes and you have not decided yet what to
    cook or not and you're feeling revengeful because you did
    4 loads of laundry over the weekend.
*  Over succulent shrimps grilled to perfection, steaks, porkchops,
    lamb, etc.
*  As a pasta sauce ----- topped with grilled chicken breast served
    with a side of green salad. Your husband will think you deserve
    a "bling" on mother's day.

What! A pesto sauce on my salad?

*  Put a tablespoon of pesto in a bowl, thinned with a little water (to desired consistency), add 2 tablespoons of the wonderful and versatile mayonnaise. Stir thoroughly and drizzle on the salad. If you are concern that the 2 tablespoons of mayonnaise will take residence in your hips, add a squeeze of one large lemon instead.

Now, get out of the box and think what you could do with this pesto. Enjoy it!

TIP:  Don't cook the pesto, it's better as is.