Pasta Sauce: Green Chile Pesto

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Green Chile Pesto - Tex-Mex

 

1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, or parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

6 green New Mexican chiles, roasted, peeled, stems and seeds removed

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/4 cup vegetable oil,to 1/2 cup

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

 

 

 

 

Put the spinach, cilantro, and basil in a food processor or blender and pulse to

finely chop. Add the chiles, garlic, pinons, lime juice and continue to pulse.

With the machine running, slowly add just enough of the oil to make a smooth

sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

 

Cook the pasta of choice, about 1 pound, until done. Reserve about a 1/4 cup of

the cooking water and add it to the pesto to thin the sauce make it more creamy

and silky.

 

Put the pasta in a large serving bowl. Add the pesto, toss to coat, and serve.

 

Yield: 1 to 1 1/2 cups

Heat Scale: Medium

 

Source: Nancy’s Fiery Fare: No-Cook Hot Pasta Sauces

Formatted by Chupa Babi: 07.02.08

 

Variation: To increase the heat add serrano or jalapeño chiles.

 

This Southwestern adaptation of the Italian specialty uses green chile and

spinach in place of the traditional basil in the pesto. It has a very

concentrated flavor as do all pestos, so a little bit goes a long way.

 

ChupaNote: pepitas (unsalted pumpkin seed kernels) are an inexpensive

replacement for pine nuts in this recipe.

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