the Sunday Special - Homemade Pesto

I made pesto for the first time the other day...sort of by accident. There was a new winter squash variety that I tried (which was amazingly delicious without anything added. no sugar. no butter. no nothin'.) and I baked the seeds like I normally do. They were a bit hard to chew so I decided to grind them up in my blender (which is similar to a bullet), but a coffee bean grinder would work better than most blenders. I was going to use it to sprinkle on top of things as a seasoning and such.

I had some fresh Thai basil from the farmers market and thought I'd throw some of it into the blender. Needed a little lubrication in the blender so I threw in some olive oil. At some point it hit me. "Oh, I think this is how you make pesto." I'm guessing this is how most new food items are created. This is how it happens in my kitchen,, anyway. =)


Pesto
Sprinkle a little black pepper and oregano on the seeds of 1 winter squash. Bake at 350 degrees until starting to get golden brown. (Guessing 15 minutes. Be sure to check them every few minutes so they don't burn.)

Grind them up in a coffee bean grinder or a blender that is capable of grinding them up into small fine pieces, almost a powder. Add fresh basil and olive oil.

Serve with cucumbers, tomatoes, garlic, winter squash, cilantro, green onions, and a variety of other fun fresh ingredients. Arrange on toasted whole wheat tortilla slices and garnish with basil.



Or layer them to make cucumber sandwiches.