Marisa's Italian Kitchen

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Sauces

Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto

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A delightfully Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto sauce made with oil and vinegar preserved artichokes, walnuts and parsley. This pesto is bursting with unmistakable fresh flavours and comes together in mere minutes.

Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto

Nowadays its quite easy to find a variety of pesto sauces in your local grocery stores.

But for once, I urge you to skip the store bought variety and try a homemade version from your own kitchen. Once you do, you’ll never go back!

For one, the flavours are far more superior! But mostly its really just so, so easy to make your own.

A food processor speeds up the process but also a hand held emulsion blender would work equally well here.

Also a homemade pesto can be customized to your own personal tastes. The walnuts can be substituted with almonds or other favourite nuts.

And if you follow a vegan diet, you can simply omit the Parmesan cheese. This would still give you quite a flavourful and tasty sauce with all the nutritional benefits.

Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto

Artichokes are one of the more staple vegetables I grew up with and just adore. But I admit that they’re quite a chore to clean and require lots of hands on experience to trim.

To simplify this pesto sauce I opted for oil and vinegar packed artichokes with the stems attached that are sold in glass jars. I drained them well and patted them down with paper towels because I really wanted the taste of my extra virgin olive oil to come through.

However, you can use frozen artichokes but just remember to thaw them first!

Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto

How To Use Artichoke Pesto

There are many ways you can enjoy this Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto.

You can use it as a condiment in your favourite sandwich, much as I do when preparing my Pan Grilled Chicken Panini  

Or you can slather the pesto over crostini as a quick appetizer.

It’s also equally delicious accompanied alongside poultry or fish and makes an amazing quick sauce to toss with pasta of your choice.

Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto

Speaking of pasta, I would definitely say that these Trucchetti noodles with the elongated and twisted shapes make a perfect pairing with the creamy pesto sauce.

The twisted form creates little crevices which traps and cradles the artichoke pesto and delivers lots of yummy goodness in every bite.

First off, when tossing the pasta with the pesto use some of the cooked pasta water to thin the sauce. Use only as much as needed to ensure even distribution throughout the pasta dish.

Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto

As a result you’ll be enjoying a wonderfully delicious pasta meal with a delightful creamy and flavourful sauce!

Buon Appetito!

If you make this recipe remember to tag @marisasitaliankitchen on Instagram so I can see your creation!

Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto
Print Recipe

Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto

A delightfully Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto sauce made with walnuts and parsley, bursting with fresh flavors and ready in mere minutes.
Prep Time20 mins
Course: Condiment, Sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Easy Homemade Artichoke Pesto
Servings: 2 cups
Author: Marisa

Ingredients

  • 12 ounce jar of oil packed artichokes
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 1/2 cups firmly packed Italian parsley
  • 2 generous pinches of chili pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper to your taste

Instructions

  • In a food processor add the first 7 ingredients and with the motor running pour in the extra virgin olive oil and pulse just until you get a smooth paste.
  • Stir in the salt and pepper to your taste.
  • You can use artichoke pesto as a condiment in sandwiches, tossed with your favorite pasta or simply to enhance the flavors in a particular dish.

Notes

STORE PESTO in the fridge for up to 1 week with a layer of oil over the top to keep the greens from oxidizing or freeze for longer shelf life.

 

Pesto Alla Genovese

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pesto

Pesto alla Genovese is a simple fragrant sauce and one of Italy’s most popular sauces originating from Liguria in the north-western part of the boot.

The essential ingredients are basil, garlic, pine-nuts, extra-virgin olive oil and aged Italian cheeses such as Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano or Grana Padana.

It is super easy, delicious and can be put together in mere minutes. Pesto is best served fresh while the flavors are bright, bold and strong but also keeps well in the fridge for up to one week, covered, with an extra layer of extra-virgin olive oil in the jar to prevent the basil from oxidizing or turning brown.

There are endless ways to use pesto. Try it as a flavor booster for minestrone soup, pizza topping or as a sandwich spread. Toss it with gnocchi or any pasta of your choice.

fettuccine basil pesto 1

My favorite way is to toss it with linguine. So quick and easy and packed with the wonderful flavors of summer!

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups fresh basil
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Step By Step Pesto

basil pesto  Place the basil, extra-virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves and salt into a food processor or a blender.

basil pesto1

 Process on high using the shortest amount of time so the basil does not lose it’s vibrant green color. (When I make large quantities I freeze it at this point before adding the cheese.)

basil pesto2  Unplug the machine and stir in the Parmesan cheese.

basil pesto3

I used the end of a wooden spoon to reach down and stir. Or simply invert the pesto sauce into a small bowl and then stir in the cheese. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

pesto1

It should not be overly smooth. A little chunky with some texture and you have the perfect pesto sauce. 🙂

Yields 1 cup

©2015 Marisa’s Italian Kitchen

Easy Marinara Sauce

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A simple and Easy Marinara Sauce made with good quality San Marzano canned tomatoes.

Easy Marinara Sauce stored in a mason jar.

Marinara Sauce From Scratch

Canned tomatoes make a delicious Easy Marinara Sauce.

The key to making this super easy tomato sauce is good quality San Marzano tomatoes as well as the best and freshest onions, celery, carrots and garlic. You will be rewarded with the most sensational aromas and intense flavours of a great simple sauce.

Basil is one of my absolute favourite herb and I love to use both the dry and fresh basil in my tomato sauce. The dried variety is great for a long simmering pasta sauce as it has time to infuse the dish with its sweet scent.

When I have an abundance of fresh basil, I will add a couple of springs during the simmering time. Then I’ll simply fish it out and finish the sauce with an additional layer of shredded basil just before serving.

Chopped carrots, celery and onions.

Taking the time to sauté the onions until they are translucent ensures a sauce full of flavour.

A sauté of carrots, celery and onions.

Pot od simmering marinara sauce.

 

Penne pasta on a white plate.

What is Marinara Sauce Used For?

This recipe is so versatile, one I turn to when making my Chicken Parmesan with Kale or serving it alongside my Arancini. It is also my go to recipe for simmering melt in your mouth meatballs.

It can also be served with any pasta of your choice.

After draining the cooked pasta, I prefer to coat it with a ladle or two of tomato sauce. Then stir well, plate and add additional sauce with a generous sprinkle of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

It’s also wonderful over gnocchi or you can use it in your favourite baked pasta dishes.

Alternately, you can add some hot chilli flakes while it’s simmering and use as a spicy dipping sauce.

Marinara sauce in a mason jar.

Marinara sauce pored in a mason jar.

This recipe makes enough to fill 2 mason jars. It can be refrigerated for up to 5 days or can be frozen for later use.

Buon Appetito!

Easy Marinara Sauce stored in a mason jar.
Print Recipe

Easy Marinara Sauce

A simple and Easy Marinara Sauce made with good quality San Marzano canned tomatoes, and a medley of chopped onions, carrots and celery.
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Easy Marinara Sauce
Author: Marisa

Ingredients

  • Let's Get started with Easy Marinara Sauce
  • Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup diced carrots
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 2 medium onions peeled and diced
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 2 28 ounces canned San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes crushed
  • 1 tablespoon dry basil
  • 2 springs of fresh basil intact on the branch plus an additional
  • 1/2 cup shredded basil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Pour the olive oil in a sauce pot and stir in the chopped carrots, celery, onions and minced garlic. Add a pinch or two of salt and pepper.
  • Cook for about 8 minutes or just until the vegetables soften and the onions are translucent. (Taking the time to sauté the onions until they are translucent ensures a sauce full of flavor.)
  • Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Fill the tomato cans with 3/4 full of water, give it a good swirl to release any tomato bits resting at the bottom of the can and add this to the pot.
  • Stir in the dry basil and the 2 basil sprigs, salt and pepper. Turn up the heat, cover and bring your sauce up to a boil, stirring and checking frequently. Once you have an active boil, reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer covered for 1 hour stirring occasionally.
  • At this point the sauce should have thickened and reduced by a quarter. If not, simply remove the lid, turn up the heat a little and let it cook for a half hour longer. When it becomes concentrated enough, you will know it is ready. Just before serving fish out the two sprigs of basil and add in the additional 1/2 cup shredded basil. Taste the sauce and add more salt if needed.