Tri Color Potatoes With Basil Pecan Pesto Recipes

TRICOLOR POTATOES WITH PESTO AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Blend 4 tablespoons olive oil, basil, shallots, and garlic in processor until smooth. Season basil sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 8 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss all potatoes with 4 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper in large bowl to coat. Transfer to prepared baking sheet. Roast potatoes until almost tender, about 35 minutes. Pour basil sauce over potatoes and toss to coat. Continue roasting potatoes until golden brown and tender when pierced with skewer, about 20 minutes longer.
• Transfer potatoes to serving bowl. Add cheese and toss to coat.

BASIL PECAN PESTO

Steps:

• Blend the basil, pecans, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, and pepper together in a food processor until the mixture becomes a slightly chunky paste.

SMASHED TRI-COLOR POTATOES

Steps:

• Combine the potatoes, garlic and bay leaves in a large pot and cover with cold water by about an inch. Add some salt, then cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer the potatoes until a fork can easily pierce the skin, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Drain the potatoes and return them to the pot with the garlic (be sure to discard the bay leaves). Add the oil and butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Using a potato masher, smash the potatoes into a chunky mixture.
• Spread the potato mixture in an even layer in a large casserole or gratin dish. Season the potatoes again with salt and pepper, drizzle with additional oil and sprinkle the Parmesan over the top. Bake the potatoes until a crispy, golden crust forms on top, 35 to 45 minutes. Dot sour cream across the top and garnish with dill, chives and lemon zest while hot.

TRI-COLOR POTATOES WITH BASIL-PECAN PESTO

Steps:

• Boil potatoes just until fork-tender, about 10 minutes.
• Drain and allow potatoes to cool to room temperature.
• Cut potatoes into bite-sized pieces - usually I cut them into fourths. Place them into a large bowl.
• Throw the basil, olive oil, pecans, garlic, and salt in a the food processor or blender, and pulse the mixture several times until well-blended. It should make about 1/3 cup of pesto.
• Pour the pesto over the potatoes, and toss gently, until well-incorporated.
• Add additional salt, if desired, to taste.
• This dish keeps in the fridge but is best served, I think, at room temperature. Enjoy!

THREE VEGETABLE PENNE WITH TARRAGON-BASIL PESTO

Steps:

• Heat a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Salt the water and add pasta to cook to al dente or, with a bite to it. Cut asparagus spears into 2-inch pieces on an angle. Cut zucchini into matchstick shapes. Cut haricots verts or green beans into 2-inch pieces on an angle. Add vegetables to pasta after penne has been cooking about 5 minutes. Cook veggies and pasta together 2 minutes. While pasta cooks, toast pine nuts in a small pan until golden, then cool. Place nuts, basil, tarragon, parsley, lemon zest, garlic, cheese and a little salt and pepper in a food processor. Turn the processor on and stream in the extra-virgin olive oil until thick sauce forms. Scrape pesto into large, shallow serving dish. Add a ladle of hot, starchy pasta water to the pesto. Drain penne and veggies and add immediately to pesto. Toss to coat pasta and vegetables evenly. Adjust salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with extra grated cheese to pass at table.;

BASIL PESTO TWICE-BAKED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F or 180°C.
• Bake the potatoes in the oven for about an hour, until the skins are firm and the centres are soft.
• When the potatoes are cooked, remove from the oven. Halve them lengthways and scoop out the majority of the flesh with a spoon. Be very careful not to tear the skin- leave a quarter inch of flesh still in the skin to provide a firm shell.
• Lightly mash with a fork the flesh that has been removed from the skins. Mix in the mascarpone cheese and basil pesto sauce and season with salt and pepper if desired. Stir well to mix.
• Add the grated mozzarella and pine nuts and stir to mix.
• Scoop the filling back into the potatoes, smoothing the tops.
• Place on a foil-covered baking tray and bake for 10 minutes, until the filling is hot.
• Serve hot!

BASIL PECAN PESTO

Steps:

• Toast pecans and pulse in food processor.
• Add basil, parsley, parmesan cheese and garlic cloves. Pulse again.
• Add olive oil, salt and lemon juice.
• Pulse again until fairly smooth. Taste for seasonings. DONE.
• If you are using for a pasta sauce, add some of the pasta water to thin it down.
• If you are using on pizza, bake pizza first and then drizzle pesto over while hot.

STEAMED VEGETABLES WITH BASIL PECAN PESTO

Steps:

• To prepare the vegetables:
• On a large steamer rack layer carrots, then fennel, and then potatoes and steam over boiling water, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Transfer steamed vegetables to a platter. Steam beans, covered, until just tender, about 10 minutes, and transfer to a platter. In a food processor blend pesto with 3 tablespoons hot water, adding additional hot water if necessary to reach desired consistency.
• Serve vegetables warm at room temperature with pesto.
• To make the pesto:
• In a food processor blend together all ingredients with salt and pepper to taste until smooth. Pesto keeps, surface covered with plastic wrap, chilled, 1 week. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.