Zucchini Pesto Recipe
INSPIRED BY ITALY
SA
Zucchini and tomato are some of the most often used ingredients in Italian cooking. Zucchini is an Italian word meaning small squash. That translation is pretty straightforward. However, the translation for tomato is a bit different. The Italian word for tomato literally means apple of gold. This makes sense when you realize that it’s believed that the first tomatoes known to Europeans were actually yellow, not red.
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The word zucchini is a plural diminutive of zucca, or one squash. The diminutive form of zucca is zucchino, and the plural of that becomes zucchini.
SAVE FOR LATER
Makes 2 cups
Ingredients
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1/3 cup sun-dried tomato halves
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
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Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor. Blend until the desired consistency forms.
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If using a mortar and pestle, crush the pine nuts until a fine crumb forms. Add the zucchini, sun-dried tomato, and garlic, and mash until smooth. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Mash until the desired consistency forms.
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Store pesto in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use throughout the week in the next two recipes. Pesto can last in an airtight container in the freezer for up to six months.
Uses
Risotto-stuffed Peppers
Risotto is the most common use of rice in Italy. Rice first arrived in Sicily during the Middle Ages. Over time, the rice that grew best in Italy’s climate was a short-grain variety. Arborio rice is the type used in risotto. It’s cooked in broth to create this creamy primo, or first course, dish.
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Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna Stacks
Eggplant Parmesan traces its roots to Italy, where it’s called parmigiana di melanzane. The dish’s name comes from the Sicilian word for shutters parmiciana. On the other hand, lasagna is not originally from Italy. This now Italian classic was first made in ancient Greece.
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