Pantry Dinner

Tonight, on my way home I realized we hadn't gone grocery shopping in a long time, so I didn't have much to work with. But I was determined to be creative. So I thought about what I had on hand, and made one of my most successful experiments yet. I used ingredients that I always have in the kitchen: parsley, cilantro, extra virgin olive oil, an onion, pecorino romano cheese, edamame, marinated artichoke hearts, 1 lemon, toasted white sesame seeds, and salt and pepper. Well, and of course, pasta.

Fresh Cilantro & Parsley Pesto
*Remember, these measurements are all approximates ... I had to improvise!*
1 C fresh cilantro, packed
1 C fresh parlsey, packed
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
4-5 marinated artichoke heart sections
1 T toasted, white sesame seeds
1 C thawed edamame, with skins discarded
1/3 C pecorino Romano cheese (suggestion: grate on a microplane grater)
1/4 medium onion
1 clove garlic
1/3~1/2 C olive oil
1 lb pasta

1. Boil pasta in salt water to al dente.
   
2. Put parsley, cilantro, onion, garlic & artichoke hearts in food processor and pulse until they turn into a chunky paste, scraping down the sides periodically. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, edamame, cheese, and sesame seeds. Pulse again to get the size down a bit.
   
3. Turn food processor to "on" position and pour in oil until smooth and creamy. Add salt & pepper to taste.
   
4. When pasta is done, toss with pesto and serve.

*there will be left over pesto. Pesto freezes well, so put in freezer to avoid making it go bad.