Last Night's Dinner: Linguine with Broccoli Pesto

This was last night's dinner (never got back online last night, not long enough to do it). I am always looking for new ways of making pesto sauce. I saw the original recipe at Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks blog and had to play with it.  I had to omit the nuts, so I used seeds. My son is allergic to nuts. I find that both sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds have enough oil in them to substitute pretty well for other nuts. I also used some mesclun greens for the chard as I had to use them up. Mesclun greens have baby greens - baby spinach, baby mizuna, bok choy, aside from the lettuces. They wilt the same way.

This was really delicious. I also added a bit of heavy cream to make it more creamy and it really was excellent. Of course, I added fat but FAT is FLAVOR.

                     *  Exported from  MasterCook  *

                       Linguine with Broccoli Pesto

Recipe By     : adapted from Heidi Swanson, 101 Cookbooks
Serving Size  : 4    Preparation Time :0:00
Categories    : Main Dishes                      Pasta

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
                        pesto:
   1      box           frozen broccoli -- thawed well & dry
     1/2  cup           roasted sunflower seeds -- without salt
     1/3  cup           parmesan cheese -- freshly grated
   1      clove         garlic -- chopped
                        juice of 1/2 lemon
     1/4  ts            sea salt
     1/3  cup           extra-virgin olive oil
                        Pasta:
   1      lb            linguine noodles
   3      handfuls      greens -- * see note
                        more parmesan cheese -- for serving

For Pesto: Cut broccoli florets into smaller pieces and add to a food processor bowl fitted with blade. Add seeds, parmesan, garlic, lemon juice and salt. While machine is running, add oil in a thin stream. Taste for seasoning. Add more if necessary. Mixture should be finely pureed. If it isn't after a minute, add some water or lemon juice OR a bit of heavy cream. Set aside.

In a large pot of salted water, add pasta and cook according to package directions. In last minute of cooking, add 3 handfuls of greens (spinach or swiss chard are good, even mesclun greens are good). Drain well. Add to saucepan and swirl, over low heat, until pasta is fully cooked and coated well with sauce.

Serve, with more parmesan cheese, and a garnish of small florets.

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NOTES : Risa's notes:

* I used 3 handfuls of leftover mesclun greens which are a combination of salad greens and baby spinach and baby bok choy. Use what you have. It all wilts down and looks the same anyway.