Pesto Vinaigrette

The other day I made this pesto vinaigrette. It has reflamed my love of pesto, which was hiding in shame from an unintentional snub. Dare I remind us of the time, not so long ago, when pesto covered every food known to man. Can you blame me for such neglect?

Has pesto gone the way of Cosmopolitans? I hope not because I like pesto more than a Cosmo.
Make this soon and use it on vegetables, warm roasted potatoes, a steak salad and a cool summer pasta salad.

Pesto Vinaigrette
makes 1/2 cup
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 0

* 1 1/2 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 3 tablespoons olive oil, extra-virgin preferred
* 1 tablespoon champagne or white wine vinegar
* salt & pepper to taste

I put everything into a container, snapped on a lid and shook. The pesto and honey will act as an emulsifier, so if it's too thick to drizzle, add more vinegar. I bet after you make this vinaigrette you will keep a container of pesto in your freezer (measured into small condiment cups) so that the next time you grill vegetables you will have it on hand. Something so simple, can only be wonderful and this does not taste like pesto straight up. I can guarantee non pesto people will love this, and the rest of us, will love it once again.

Herb Nut Salsa

This is so Italian, really diabetic friendly and wonderfully full of flavor (think I got enough adjectives in there?). I think it closely resembles a chimichurri sauce but with hazelnuts for crunch and anchovy for salt.

Perfect with a steak of any kind. We spooned this over a rib-eye, but I do believe it originally was paired with a hanger steak. A inexpensive choice would be a London Broil or a flank steak.

Herb-nut Salsa
Adapted from Food & Wine, 2009
Servings: 6-8

* 1/4 cup hazelnuts
* 1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
* 1/4 cup snipped chives
* 2 teaspoons minced tarragon
* 1 teaspoon minced chervil
* 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, minced
* 2 teaspoons chopped rinsed capers
* 1 medium shallot, minced
* 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
* 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
* Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Toast the hazelnuts in a pie plate for 12 minutes, or until the skins are blistered. Transfer the nuts to a kitchen towel; let cool slightly, then rub off the skins. Finely chop the nuts and transfer them to a bowl. Add the parsley, chives, tarragon, chervil, anchovies, capers and shallot. Stir in the vinegar and the 3/4 cup of oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the steaks with oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, about 12 minutes for medium-rare meat. Let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the meat across the grain and serve with the salsa.



We shared a dry aged rib-eye we bought at Whole Foods (yum) and I made creamed spinach and mashed potato sides. A very good steakhouse style meal. Oh, and we also shared a very nice Barolo.

Sharing is a good thing....for the heart and the tummy!