Pesto Cream Cheese Spread

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                            FOOD FUNNY
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Thanks to Rosemary Zwick for this sagacious advice:

When it comes to wine I'm very particular about what I buy. There are
two things I look for before making my selection. First, the word "Wine"
must appear somewhere on the label. This is something I insist on.
Second, I look for a sign nearby that says "On Sale." Follow these two
rules and you won't go far wrong.

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                            TODAY'S RECIPE
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This is one of the easiest and tastiest dips/spreads you'll ever run
across. If you have fresh basil growing in the garden by all means make
your own pesto, but the store-bought product will do if you're in a hurry.

Pesto Cream Cheese Spread

1/2 cup (125 ml) pesto Genovese (see below), or more to taste
16 oz (445 g) cream cheese at room temperature
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir to combine
thoroughly. Serve chilled with raw vegetables, bread, or crackers.
Makes about 2 cups (500 ml).

It's hard to eat in a good restaurant these days without running across
some sort of "pesto" made with turnip greens and pistachios, or rhubarb
and gorgonzola, or some such misguided attempt at originality on the
part of the chef. This recipe is the one that started all that, and
there is nothing better than the real thing. It is traditionally served
as a sauce for pasta, but it also livens up vegetables and soups, and is
great spread on toast as an appetizer. This sauce will keep for months
in the freezer, so you might consider making multiple batches.

Pesto Genovese

2 cups (500 ml) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup (125 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup (125 ml) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbs (45 ml) pine nuts (pignoli)
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tsp (5 ml) salt, or to taste

Combine all ingredients in and electric blender and process until
smooth, stopping the blender once or twice to scrape down the sides of
the jar. When serving with pasta, "loosen" the sauce with a little bit
of the boiling water from the pasta pot.
Makes about 2 cups (500 ml), or enough for about 6 servings of pasta.
Received on Sun May 16 19:16:14 2010