Orzo Pestonade

Fresh and delicious side-dish served warm or cold. Although the recipe calls for 1lb pasta, I prefer more of the pestonade; I either cut the pasta amount or double the pestonade!

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 1  lb orzo pasta
• 1⁄2 cup  whole kalamata olive
• 1⁄2 cup  sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil, drained
• 1⁄4 cup  toasted pine nuts
• 2 -3  fresh garlic cloves
• 1  bunch fresh basil
•  sea salt
•  fresh cracked black pepper
• 3⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 1⁄2 cups  fresh  Baby Spinach
• 2  tablespoons  fresh grated parmigiano
•  parsley (to garnish)

Directions

1. Cook orzo al dente according package directions, 7-8 minutes then drain thoroughly. Transfer orzo to a large pasta serving bowl, add some extra virgin olive oil to keep from sticking and set aside.
2. Toast pine nuts in toaster oven or in dry pan on stovetop 3-5 minutes, watching carefully not to burn.
3. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, toasted pine nuts, garlic cloves, fresh basil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Stream in olive oil while intermittently pulsing, being careful to keep a paste consistency, not a liquid consistency.
5. Into a large pasta serving bowl, add finished pestonade mixture to cooked orzo. Add fresh baby spinach leaves and combine well.
6. Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and flat leaf parsley.