Aug 24, 2009
Enjoyed this recipe! Of course made a few changes to compensate for what was available in our garden. Had to omit the oregano because ours chose not to grow this year, however, we did have several flavors of basil and parsley, so adjusted those to make up the difference. Loved the addition of the spinach to this pesto. It helped to blend all the flavors together, and in no way lent an unpleasant taste at all. In fact for me, it made the dish much more enjoyable by helping ease back on the basil, which can sometimes be a bit overpowering in pesto. We also chose to use walnuts, instead of the more traditional pine nuts, and found them to work well with the fresh ingredients from our garden. Some cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and 3 or 4 cloves of fresh garlic were all that we used. No cheese for dietary reasons. Served over spelt pasta and chicken....WOW, what a meal!!! I think this recipe deserves 4.5 stars, but no rating for that. Reason: I think some of the measurements are just a bit off. We used more garlic...could be taste specific, but I don't think so. Also if substituting walnuts for pine nuts, be prepared to use more like 1 1/2 cups. Olive oil, more like 1 - 1 1/2 cups. Fresh ingredients can be more variable to work with than dried or canned or boxed, so be prepared to add a little here and there. Will be keeping this one in the recipe box to make over and over again!!
—Leann
