Eren's Presto Pesto

Ingredients

2 packed cups of fresh leaves or herbs (some options: basil, spinach, kale, chard, arugula, carrot tops, mint, parsley, etc.)
-OR-
1.5-2 cups richly-flavored veggies (some options: roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, chopped roasted artichoke, mixed olives)
½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil or another flavorful oil
¼ cup (optionally toasted) nuts of your choosing: pine nuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachios, cashews all work great
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (or any other grating cheese/similar item: Pecorino, Asiago, Nutritional Yeast)
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
(optional) A splash of lemon juice
Salt to taste

Equipment

An immersion blender (preferred)
-OR-
A food processor
-OR-
A blender

Instructions

Makes: about 2 cups of pesto

Put the nuts in a large measuring cup (if you are using an immersion blender), the bowl of a food processor, or the jar of your blender.
Pulse your immersion blender, food processor, or blender until the nuts are finely chopped.
Add the leafy greens or vegetables, oil, cheese, and garlic and pulse again until thoroughly combined and just reaching a uniform consistency (you don't want a completely smooth paste, but you don't want any large leafs of basil or large chunks of sun-dried tomato in your pesto).
Taste the pesto and add extra ingredients to adjust the flavor until just right, pulsing and tasting frequently. If your pesto is too rich and heavy, add a splash of lemon juice. If it's too wet, add more nuts and cheese. If its too acidic or salty add more oil and garlic.
Finally, add salt to taste.
Serve with pasta, spread on sourdough toast, on top of salmon, or in a caprese sandwich

Notes:

This recipe is intended as a multi-purpose pesto recipe, allowing you to make pesto with just about whatever vegetables and nuts you have lying around in your kitchen. Each ingredient combination is going to make a very different pesto, so you will often have to adjust amounts quite a bit in step 4 to get it to taste quite right. This recipe is just a general guide to get a good pesto started, and then you can adjust as needed from there.

When making this recipe with vegetables (rather than greens), I generally recommend using veggies that have been cooked or treated in some way (be that roasting, sun-drying, or brining). Pesto generally needs to be a bold flavor to stand out in a dish (given how little of it is typically called for), and using cooked vegetables instead of raw will help your pesto be a bit more punchy. Also, raw vegetables often contain too much water, which can make your pesto struggle to come together!

To store leftovers, place your pesto in a container and cover with plastic wrap, pressing the plastic wrap down so it is directly covering the surface of the pesto (this will help reduce oxidation). Close the container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

If your pesto develops a brown layer on top after sitting in the fridge for a few days, it is still good! That is just the oxidation, you mix that layer back into the pesto or scoop it into the trash if you like.

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