Dear fellow Richmonders - I'm back from Michigan! I am a bit off-schedule in terms of my posting due to the craziness of moving into my apartment, meeting and greeting my new roommate (yay!), and attending dental school orientation (wo0-hoo!). I have met some wonderful people these past few days and they are sure to make my dental school experience exciting and rewarding.
I moved in last Friday and had absolutely nothing in the fridge (save for some sandwich scraps), so when a fellow dental student invited me over to make dinner, I quickly suggested this yummy recipe. I've been craving pesto and something spicy (I wasn't sure what) for a while and this is the perfect marriage of the two.
The recipe is one of Giada's and you can find the original here - I've included it here with my modifications.
1 cup walnuts, slightly chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 small jalapeno (about 2 inches long)
2 cups grated Asiago cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup arugula (maybe a little less)
1 cup spinach (I like baby spinach)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 pound fusilli pasta, or any pasta with a lot of grooves
more Asiago to use when serving
In a food processor or grinder combine the nuts into a nice powder, along with the spices. Then add the cheese, leaves, olive oil, and jalapeno. We took out the ribs and seeds of the jalapeno (this is where a lot of the heat lives) and it wasn't actually that spicy. Note that when using jalapeno, wash your hands thoroughly before touching anything - especially your eyes! Or use gloves.
Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain and add the pesto - as much as you like. Mix in 1/2 cup more of Asiago and let that melt in. Serve and garnish with a little more cheese :) Store any extra pesto in the fridge covered with a light layer of olive oil.
We made this in a blender and I really wouldn't recommend that. If you must, though, you'd have to add a little water in the bottom and make sure to do it in batches so the blender can keep grinding and such.