PESTO VINAIGRETTE

I was reheating the very last of the braised lamb and was trying to decide what to serve with it.  I didn't feel like doing any too very complicated.  At the same time I've been looking through my cookbooks looking for the next dish I wanted to make.  In Sara Foster's first book, I came across a sort of interesting little recipe kind of deal.  More of a tip, really.  She suggested adding some vinegar, lemon juice and oil to a cup of pesto and turning it from a coarse sauce and into a light vinaigrette.  Now I will be the first to admit, this seems like something Sandra Lee might do.  However.  I just so happened to have a cup of mint pesto in my freezer left over from when I made rosemary shrimp with mint pesto over sweet pea risotto.  So see?  I'm not cheating.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup pesto (I used mint pesto, although I'm sure it would work with any flavor of pesto you might have on hand)
3 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

METHOD
Combine the pesto, vinegar, lemon zest, and juice in a small bowl.  Whisk until smooth.  In a slow steady stream, add the oil while whisking to emulsify.  Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary.

I used the dressing on a very simple leafy salad with a little finely chopped red onion, some thinly sliced cucumber, and a little crumbled feta.  If I had been doing a main course salad, rather than a side, I would have added some shredded roasted chicken.  As I said, my pesto was frozen so what I found is that the addition of the vinegar and the lemon juice really bring the flavors back to life.  The dressing is really bright and light and fresh.  I almost like the pesto as a vinaigrette rather than on pasta.

Comments

[Helen]

I really like how you provide that little tidbit of extra info at the end of the recipe - how it tasted! Most cookbooks don't do that, they just assume that you'll assume it'll all be great...

[Grant]

Helen - Thank you so much! I hate when cookbooks just have a page of ingredients and the method and I especially hate when there are no pictures. I have to see the finished result before I want to make a recipe. I prefer cookbooks that have little introductions, so to say, before each recipe. And I really think the description of how the results taste is very helpful. Thanks again!

[ann]

Grant
I've been making something like this that I cribbed from a leslie forbes cookbook, but with tarragon and vinegar soaked breadcrumbs.
you mooosh it all together and then send it through a sieve or food mill then whisk it all up with olive oil.
Soooooo sexy! and tasty! it goes well with all darker meats (beef, lamb, venison, etc)
but one warning, do NOT use whole wheat breadcrumbs! the combo ends up tasting like almonds.
thought you might enjoy it.

[Anne Nodar]

I wish I had seen this post before I made my "Weird Pasta."

I love the idea of a pesto with mint. Sounds so refreshing.

Your pictures always looks so great. Do you light them? What kind of camera do you use?

[Vaguely Urban]

Even more than the recipe, I loved the gratuitous Sandra Lee taunt.

[Dianka]

What a great combination with the lamb. This pesto recipe looks great!

~Dianka
http://na-zdravi.blogspot.com/