Mac-Nut Pesto

Jump to Recipe

Jump to Video

---

Bear Hands (author): No, it’s not traditional. That’s correct.

---

Hubby Bear (eater): The spinach and macadamia nuts give this pesto a mellow, earthy flavor that is wonderfully subdued. We use it on our Pesto, Beans and Noodles recipes (stay tuned next week for that one!)

Pesto, at its heart, is less a rigid recipe than a philosophy: herbs, oil, nuts, cheese, and whatever small personal convictions one insists upon bringing to the matter. This version wanders rather cheerfully away from strict tradition and into something richer, greener, and perhaps just a touch more indulgent.

Detailed recipe:

Print

With ImageWithout Image

Mac-nut Pesto

Author: Bear Hands

There are many versions of home spun pestos, in and out of Italy, and some of the best ones I’ve ever had have been made with what many purists would think of as “non-traditional” greens – but tradition is just historically built in social pressure and nevermind all that, enjoy this particularly rich and freshly herbaceous take on a familiar classic (or make one up of your own!) today!

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

Ingredients

• 1 cup green olives, pits removed
• 1 cup roasted macadamia nuts
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese
• 1 medium Maui sweet or Vidalia onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 cup olive oil, minimum (more if you prefer a looser, oilier pesto – also more if you plan to use this pesto as a dip ever more oil is reccomended)
• 2 lbs baby spinach
• 3 cups basil leaves (small stems included; they add marvelous flavor)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• A friendly note on garlic – Garlic is of course a universal ingredient in most pesto recipes but as always; I don’t frequently, if at all, use garlic as I find it irritates my allergies but I understand that it’s a very popular seasoning so I enthusiastically invite you to make use of as much as you feel appropriate in this and any dish you take advice from myself on.

Equipment

• Food processor (preferred)
• A mortar and pestle if you are feeling particularly devoted to the old ways
• Or a blender, if it’s all you’ve got or happen to prefer a more cohesive final texture a blender will puree more than chop into fine smithereens.

Instructions

1. Step 1 — Build the base
2. Place the olives, roasted macadamia nuts, and onion into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the mixture becomes coarse and cohesive.
3. Begin adding the baby spinach in generous handfuls. Once approximately half the spinach has been incorporated, pause the processor.
4. Step 2 — Begin emulsifying
5. Open the processor and scrape down the sides thoroughly.
6. Resume processing and slowly stream in a portion of the olive oil while adding the remaining spinach. Allow the machine to continue working until the mixture begins to loosen and turn vibrantly green.
7. Step 3 — Finish the pesto
8. Pause once more to scrape down the bowl.
9. With the processor running again, add some more olive oil, followed by the salt and black pepper. Add the basil leaves and the remaining minimum olive oil.
10. At this stage, you may adjust the oil according to preference if you like an oilier pesto.
11. Step 4 — Adjust the texture
12. Continue processing until the pesto reaches your desired consistency. Make it as smooth or as coarse as you like. It’s suitable to be used immediately and can be tossed directly over hot noodles or frozen into portions for later use. If you like pesto a good deal make sure to adjust the recipe settings to double or quadruple to make larger batches for a delightful squirrels trove of quick and almost effortless meal options!

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @i_am_bear_hands_ on instagram and hashtag it #i_am_bear_hands_

Video:

Late Night Ramen Video