Quick Parsley Walnut Dressing Recipes

WALNUT AND PARSLEY PESTO

Steps:

• Place garlic and salt in a mortar; smash and mash with the pestle until it becomes a paste, 5 to 8 minutes. Add walnuts; mash walnuts into a paste until you reach your desired texture (coarse or smoother), another 5 to 8 minutes. Add parsley and mash to break up and blend with the walnut/garlic mixture, about 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and olive oil; stir, mash, and emulsify liquids into the mixture until it becomes very thick and well blended, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. If mixture seems too thick, whisk in a tablespoon of water, or as needed.
• Spread on bread, use on pizza or pasta, or on roasted chicken. The taste is just like garlic butter, so use it as such.

BASIL, PARSLEY & WALNUT PESTO

Steps:

• If you're using the pesto right away to dress maccheroni alla chitarra (or other pasta), heat a large pot of salted water to a boil before processing the sauce.
• To make the pesto: Heap the basil, parsley, garlic, walnuts, and salt into the food processor. Pulse several times, to chop everything together coarsely, then, with the machine running, pour in the 1/2 cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream. Stop and scrape down the sides of the work bowl, and process to a uniformly fine bright-green pesto.
• Put all the pesto into a large, deep bowl, big enough to toss all the pasta in. Meanwhile, start cooking the maccheroni or other pasta. Shortly before it is done, ladle 1/2 cup or so of the boiling pasta water into the bowl, and stir to warm and loosen the pesto-use only as much water as needed to bring the pesto to tossing consistency.
• When the maccheroni is perfectly al dente, lift it from the pot with tongs and a spider, drain it for an instant, then drop it into the bowl. Toss the pasta and sauce together thoroughly. Sprinkle a cup or so of grated cheese over it, then toss again. Serve immediately in warm bowls, with more cheese at the table.
• To store and use the pesto later: Scrape it from the food processor into a small jar or container. Smooth the top surface, and cover it with a thin layer of olive oil or a piece of plastic wrap to prevent discoloration. Refrigerate for a week, or freeze for several months; warm to room temperature before using.