Arugula pepita pesto

Somehow I have never made pesto before this week. I've always been a fan, but for some reason, I had a mental block on making it myself. When I finally came around to doing it, you know me, I had to make it weird. 

I've been on an arugula kick lately, and I wanted a way to get it onto pasta. So I made pesto with my favorite herby green, my favorite seed, pepitas, and my favorite pasta, cascatelli. 

Making traditional pesto can get kind of pricy. Pine nuts are one of the most expensive nuts. I have a puny basil plant, and I would have to pluck every leaf off to get enough to make a basil pesto. You'd have to buy several bunches of basil in the store, while a bag of fresh, peppery arugula is way cheaper. 

This recipe is easy and endlessly riffable. You could throw in any other soft herbs you like. The flavor of the pepitas wasn't very pronounced. It could have been any nut or seed you have on hand. 

Arugula Pepita Pesto
4 fresh garlic cloves (This makes a pretty garlicy pesto. If you want a subtler garlic flavor, do 3 cloves.)
1/4 cup pepitas (toasted pumpkin seeds)
5 ounces arugula (a little more than 2 cups leaves, tightly packed)

1/2 t salt

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

2 T lemon juice

black pepper to taste

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a food processor, pulse garlic and pepitas until finely minced and almost paste-like. Add remaining ingredients except olive oil. Turn on food processor and incorporate olive oil gradually by streaming it in. This will keep the pesto creamy and stop it from separating. If you have a smaller food processor, you may need to add the arugula in stages and wipe down the sides a few times. You're looking for a creamy but not overworked sauce with a few remaining minced bits of arugula.

This makes the perfect amount of pesto to go with 1 lb of pasta and make a generously saucy dish. I used cascatelli pasta, which did a great job holding onto the sauce! 

The pesto would also be great on pizza, as a dip for bread, etc.