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August 31, 2011
Spinach Pesto Rotini
Homestyle Pasta
Prep time:
15 minutescooking time:
10 to 15 minutes“Grandma sometimes let us pound the basil, spinach and other ingredients together with a mortar and pestle.”
Ingredients
Serves 8
- 1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach, stems removed
- 2 ounces pine nuts
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 ounce fresh basil (about 1 cup chopped)
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese
- 16 ounces tricolor rotini
Directions
1
Place spinach in a large saucepan. Pour enough boiling water over spinach to cover. Let stand, covered, for 1 minute; drain. Rinse with cold water; drain. Press spinach to remove excess moisture.
2
Combine pine nuts, garlic and salt in a food processor container. Process until smooth, about 1 minute. Add spinach and basil. Process until smooth, about 1 minute.
3
Add olive oil in a fine stream, processing constantly. Process until the mixture forms a smooth paste.
4
Add Parmesan and Romano to spinach mixture and mix well.
5
Cook pasta using package directions; drain, reserving a small amount of the liquid.
6
Combine sauce and pasta in a large serving bowl and toss to mix. Add enough reserved cooking liquid to make desired consistency, if needed. Serve immediately.
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grandma's secret
grandma's secret
The sauce for this dish is more than just a pasta sauce. Grandma sometimes dipped boiled halves of new potatoes into the sauce for an appetizer. Or she spread it over pizza crust, then topped it with mozzarella and broiled the pizza for a quick supper. She even combined the sauce with mayonnaise occasionally to make a dressing for potato salad.
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