Walnut Pesto Sauce

Traditional pesto sauces are mostly using pine nuts and basil. There are quite a few using walnuts and parsley as a substitute. I did the latter a while back and it was very tasty. This time around, I did a pesto sauce using walnuts, Thai basil and some parsley and (wait for it…) Kraft parmesan cheese!!! Yes, I know that this is a sin! I’m not suppose to make any type of sauce that requires parmesan cheese, but I had all the ingredients and when looked for the cheese, I was out and I really wanted to make this sauce. I figured I’d give it try using the store bought parmesan just to see how it comes out and whether or not it’s edible. While not as good and using fresh cheese, this recipe actually surprised me. I found that I needed to add a little more oil to make it a more smoother and runny, but I also used this in a pasta recipe, which worked quite well. Here’s how I did it:

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 2-3 garlic cloves
• 1 1/2 cups Thai Basil
• 1 1/2 cups Parsley
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper (to taste)
• 2/3 olive oil (more or less as needed to suite you liking)
• 1/3 Kraft parmesan cheese

1. First, I lightly toasted the walnuts in a non-stick pan on the stove over low heat for about 5 minutes. Check often, as you don’t want them to get burnt. Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

2. Next, placed cooled walnuts and garlic in a food processer. Pulse for about 10 seconds. The processor works best, but if all you have is a blender, you can use that, too. Just try to control the blending process so as not to over blend. Add the basil and parsley and blend for another minute on the low setting. Below, you’ll see each stage of the process. Now, turn on the processor to low and as it blends, add the oil slowly.

3. Finally add the cheese and blend on low. Add salt and pepper to taste and more oil if you think it needs it.

Use right away or refrigerate. It should keep well for a few days, but I don’t keep it longer than a week. I used mine in a shrimp pasta dish which you can find here. I hope you give this a try. I know most people will stroke out by not using fresh parmesan, but not everyone has access to it or can’t find it. I wanted to try making a traditional dish using “not so traditional” ingredients and it turned out pretty yummy in my shrimp pasta dish. If you do try it, let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions to how to improve on it. Thank you for stopping by and Buen Provecho!