DIY Pesto

Making Pesto scares me.

Every recipe sounds so complicated and full of ingredients I don't have.

So, when I wanted to make a recipe that called for a pesto, I did a quick internet search for an easy pesto recipe and found Pesto! from RecipeTinEats.


DIY Pesto
(Adapted from: Pesto! at RecipeTinEats)


Ingredients:

2 Cups frozen spinach
2 Full TBspns of peanuts, crushed
2 Full TBspns of Parmesan cheese, grated
6 TBspns Olive oil
1/2 or less Tspn Garlic powder
2-3 TBspns Basil, dry, crushed between palms
3 Screws of Ground black pepper (Optional)
S/P to taste


Process:

Microwave spinach on high for 3 minutes.
Add Spinach to a container with a lid.
Add nuts.
Add Parmesan cheese.
Add oil, garlic powder, basil and pepper.
Stir ingredients thoroughly.
Stir ingredients furiously with a fork to make the mixture creamy. Use the fork to smash the ingredients.
Add more oil, if desired.
After use, add lid.
Store remaining mixture in frig.

Note: In many countries the government has set standards for what cheeses can be called grated Parmesan cheese (ready-to-use).

In the United States, the FDA states that grated Parmesan cheeses can contain up to 4% cellulose (an anti-caking agent).

But, in the past, there was a controversy. One or more Parmesan cheese manufacturers allegedly exceeded the 4% limit on the amount of cellulose in their products.

https://www.thedailymeal.com/news/eat/your-parmigiano-may-be-diluted-wood-shavings-study-finds/021716

Even now, if you read a label on Parmesan cheese you can not know what the amount of cellulose is in the product.