Spinach pistachio pesto

Note: I couldn't hold the camera still to save my life, sorry for the blurry image. Also, my dining room table has been hijacked by other interests for the time being, leaving me with the less romantic canvas of my cutting board. I'll see if I can find a better spot to snap the shot for the burgers tomorrow.

My husband and I decided to go out and satisfy a barbeque craving for lunch earlier today, so I've again postponed the burgers in favor of a lighter meal that I had originally planned on making today anyway. I've made pesto dozens of ways and have never met a pesto I didn't like. It's herbaceous, it's my favorite color, there's olive oil, there's garlic, what's not to swoon over?

Here's a couple reasons why this speedy dish (I'm talking less than 15 minutes here) is not only convenient, but great for you:

Garlic is a fantastic, pungent aromatic that has been used medicinally by cultures around the world for thousands of years. Not every purpose for which it's been used carries much scientific merit, but some of the more researched benefits include anti-inflammatory effects, lower blood pressure, decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer (garlic is rich in antioxidants), and strengthening of the immune system.

A personal anecdote here, there once was an Ethopian man named Mulu who worked at the kiosk next to mine. He ran an embroidery business and worked 11 hours a day (in a mall, no less. Lots of potential for contagious illness floating around). Mulu very, very rarely got sick, and when he did, it never lasted more than a day. When I would ask him what his secret was, he would always say one of three things: Spicy peppers, Noni, and above all else, raw garlic.

Pistachios are tasty little nuts that have a unique, almost buttery flavor. They are rich in healthy unsaturated fats, as well as Thiamine (B1) and B6. Nuts are also a fantastic source of protein and fiber. Most health experts will recommend eating at least a palmful of nuts a day, but take it easy on them after that though, as they're pretty high calorie.

Are you sick of spinach yet? Of course not! It's delicious and great for you! Besides, when you're only cooking for two, it takes a few dishes to plow through an entire bag of the fresh stuff. Sneaking spinach into something creamy and decadent like pesto is a very effective way to get someone who may not like veggies to chow down, by the way.

Let's get into the recipe.

This will make two servings:

1 and 1/2 cups of penne rigate pasta (I'd use less if I had paired this with a meat, but since it's standing alone here, I went a little heavy)

1 good-sized cube of parmigiano reggiano, chopped (mine was about 1 inch)

2 cloves of garlic

1 heaping handful of fresh spinach

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil (it needs to be extra virgin)

1/3 cup of raw unsalted pistachios (if you can't find them unsalted, just account for that later when you're seasoning the pesto)

1 handful of fresh basil

To taste sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, whatever else you'd like. Lots of folks (my dad for example) like to finish their pesto with fresh lemon juice. I would say that is a mighty fine idea.

First thing you'll want to do is get the water on to boil. Cooking your pasta (don't forget to salt your pasta water) is the most time consuming part of this meal.

Combine the remaining ingredients into a food processor and purée until smooth. Taste it and adjust seasoning appropriately.

Make sure your pasta and the dish you serve it in isn't piping hot. Pesto needs to be served warm or even room temperature, not hot, or else the cheese will begin to melt and you'll have an ugly, oily, clumpy mess instead of a smooth, consistant purée.

Combine the pasta and pesto sauce and serve.

Yeah, that's really it. Isn't pesto the best thing in the world?

Now, burgers next, I promise. Do come back.