13 minute read
Pep up your pesto
Embrace fresh herbs and veggies with this sauce
SARAH NASELLO / THE FORUM Sarah's Cilantro Jalapeno Pesto is a brightly flavored, chunky sauce that's easy to make and perfect for using as a spread, dip or sauce for pasta.
I love everything about pesto. This simple, chunky sauce can be enjoyed in myriad ways — spread atop crostini, tossed with pasta, mixed into tacos and salads, eaten by the spoonful… you get the idea.
A traditional Genoese pesto is made with fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, salt and extra-virgin olive oil, but by altering the herbs and nuts, you can create a whole repertoire of differently flavored pestos with ease.
For this occasion, I swapped out the basil for fresh cilantro and jalapeno and opted for walnuts as their neutral flavor will enhance the other ingredients without overpowering them. So that the bright, fresh flavor of the green ingredients can really shine, I skipped the cheese altogether and added a punch of acid with fresh lime juice.
Making pesto is an easy process as everything can be quickly mixed together by using a food processor or blender. You could also make this in the traditional way, using a mortar and pestle if desired, but I much prefer the ease and speed of modern technology.
For this recipe, I use one bunch of fresh cilantro and remove the long, thick part of the stems so that it is mostly just the leaves being used (this yields about 3 packed cups of cilantro).
I love spicy foods, but my family does not, so to appease their timid palates I use just half of one large jalapeno and remove the seeds and veins inside. However, If I were making this pesto just for me, I would use the entire jalapeno and even some of the seeds.
To make the pesto, blitz the cilantro, jalapeno, garlic, walnuts and lime juice together by pulsing in a food processor or blender until a thick paste is formed. Next, turn the processor or blender on and add a quarter-cup of extra-virgin olive oil in a slow, steady stream until fully incorporated. Because the oil is an important flavor component in pesto, it is important to use a good quality, extra-virgin olive oil.
Once the oil has been added, blend in a small amount of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, then taste and adjust the seasoning and flavors as desired.
This recipe yields about one heaping cup of pesto, which I have served as a dip with hearty chips, as an appetizer atop crostini, and in the pasta salad recipe I am also including here today. With graduations, vaccinations and celebrations upon us, we are entering the season for big-batch salads, and this bright and flavorful pasta salad will easily serve 10 to 12 guests. The recipe can be doubled or tripled and made one or two days in advance of serving.
This Cilantro Jalapeno Pesto is fresh, versatile, easy to make and filled with the bright color and flavors of the season. Enjoy!
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Home with the Lost Italian
BY SARAH & TONY NASELLO Columnist
Cilantro Jalapeno Pesto
1 bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed (about 3 packed cups) 1 large clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped 1/4 cup walnuts (pistachios, almonds or pine nuts also work) 1/2 to 1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped (start with half and add more as desired) 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (about 1 lime) 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 tsp. kosher salt 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
In a food processor or blender, add cilantro, garlic, pistachios, jalapeno and lime juice. Pulse until a thick paste is formed.
Turn processor on and run continuously as you add olive oil through feed tube in a slow, steady stream. Once all the oil is added, continue to process for an additional 30 seconds.
Taste and add more salt, pepper, lime juice and jalapeno as desired. Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days.
Cilantro Jalapeno Pesto Pasta Salad
1 pound farfalle (bow tie) pasta, cooked to al dente and rinsed with cold water until no longer hot 3 to 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided 3/4 to 1 cup Cilantro Pesto 3/4 cup black beans, drained and rinsed 3/4 cup sweet corn 1 orange bell pepper, small diced 1 to 2 Tbsp. lime juice 1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced into thin rounds or halved 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Salt and pepper, to taste
Thinly sliced or finely chopped jalapeno, to garnish
Toss cooked pasta with 1 tablespoon of canola oil, adding more as needed until evenly coated. Add 3/4 cup of the pesto and stir until fully incorporated.
Add black beans, sweet corn and bell pepper. Use a rubber spatula or large spoon to mix vegetables with pasta. Add more pesto at this stage, if desired (I use 1 cup).
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of lime juice over salad, then add sliced tomatoes and feta cheese; toss to combine. Taste and add more lime juice, salt and pepper as needed.
For best results, refrigerate salad for at least 1 hour before serving, or even overnight; the salad may be prepared up to 2 days in advance of serving. Toss with 1 to 2 tablespoons canola oil and garnish with thinly sliced or finely chopped jalapeno before serving. Serves 10 to 12.
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“Home with the Lost Italian” is a weekly column written by Sarah Nasello featuring recipes by her husband, Tony Nasello. The couple owned Sarello’s in Moorhead and lives in Fargo with their son, Giovanni. Readers can reach them at sarahnasello@gmail.com.
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From Page 1
“Since I’ve gotten out of that field and pursued all of these other different vocations, I’ve been much more active, physically, too. I used to have a lot more aches and pains than I do now.”
She said working in her store provides a variety of different types of activity, from arranging items in the store to pulling things out of storage units and pricing them.
“Not only is it keeping me mentally alert and active, but also physically, it’s helped an enormous amount,” she said.
Wood’s first career move, after leaving radiology, was to become an administrator with the Indian Health Service.
“I had never done administrative medicine before, but I had had some graduate training in medical administration,” she said.
Starting with a year in Lawton, Okla., she spent the next eight years rotating from one position to another, including stints in Kayenta, Ariz.; Fort Yates and Belcourt, N.D.; Sisseton, S.D.; and, toward the end of that career, as deputy chief medical officer for the area office in Aberdeen, S.D.
“It was a real interesting experience,” she said, “different from what I had ever done before.”
At age 66, Wood decided to try and retire.
“In 2007, I actually built a lake home up on Boot Lake, here in Park Rapids,” she said. “Never had really lived there full-time before. So, I moved to Park Rapids, and then my retirement didn’t last very long because I was getting bored. I just needed to keep busy.”
Looking around for other options, she first hit upon a company that serves people on Medicare and supplemental insurance, doing in-home, annual exams.
“I worked in Fargo and Grand Forks, primarily,” she said. “That’s kind of what got me thinking about retirement and the next stages of people’s lives.”
Wood recalled encountering a lot of people on that job, people who had retired and “had just kind of given up on life. They were content with just sitting in their homes and watching TV all day long, and had no interests.
“I tried to encourage them to look at different options. Asked them if they had hobbies.”
She said a lot of them seemed, to her, to have lost interest in life.
“But then, there were other people that, on the converse, really inspired me,” she said. “There were 90-year-olds that were just going and going, doing things. They had sparks in their eyes. They had things they were interested in. They continued to learn.”
Watching her father suffer from dementia, Wood said, reinforced her belief that activity, especially mental, can slow the progress of mental decline.
“The more active your mind is,” she said, “with whatever you’re doing, whatever dream you’re trying to fulfill, it helps to prolong a worthwhile retirement.”
She saw evidence of this in her in-home exam patients, including a 78-year-old lady who took up painting and another lady who was writing her memoirs.
“That got me thinking,” said Wood. “I had a great-grandmother who I never met. My grandmother told me – it was her mother-inlaw – that I looked very much like her. But there was nothing left of her. I never saw a picture.”
The lost great-grandma grew up in Paris, France, reflecting an interest that led Wood to major in French in college and to develop a love of visiting France. That client who was writing a memoir inspired her to think about doing something similar, so her grandchildren and beyond will know more about her.
Wood also cited golf, pickleball, cycling and other exercise as activities that she has known people to take up after retirement, “a whole variety of things that people were doing that was a real inspiration.”
ROBIN FISH/ENTERPRISE
Kathy Wood, at age 71, pursued her lifelong dream of owning her own antique shop when she opened Truly Vintage last September in downtown Park Rapids.
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“A long time ago,” Wood said, “a dear friend of mine who was dying from cancer advised me to never give up my dreams.”
In a voice filled with emotion, she explained that since she was a little girl, she has always wanted to have an antique store.
“I think part of that came about with interactions with my grandmother, who lived in Wisconsin,” she said. “She had a house full of what I thought were absolute treasures. Mohair furniture, lace curtains, all these little knickknacks, just wonderful, vintage furniture. I’d walk around her house when we would visit, and just get excited and wanted to learn the history of things, and she was very dear to me.
“Since then, it’s always been in the back of my mind that someday, I wanted to have my own store.”
After renting space in different antique malls over the years, Wood finally found the ideal space last fall, when she opened Truly Vintage.
“I know there’s a lot of people that thought I was absolutely crazy for opening up a store in the midst of COVID,” she said, “but I decided, I’m 71 now. If it wasn’t now, it wasn’t ever gonna be. Sometimes you just have to take a leap and figure it out as you go along.”
She said she has had no regrets. She enjoys hearing visitors to the store tell their stories as they look around and see things that remind them of where they grew up. Some of them have even come back after making purchases to tell her about the new memories they made, having a family gathering around the big dining room table or using the special place settings.
“This isn’t just stuff. It’s memories. It’s people’s lives, things that they’ve collected,” she said. “Things that have been important to them.”
She said this is what prompted her to try to inspire people to think about the legacy they leave behind, the memories they want to create.
“It’s really easy, when you retire, just to sit and relax and think, that’s what life has come to. But to me, that’s sad,” said Wood. “I would encourage people to find their passion, whatever it is. Or try and realize their dreams, things they’ve had in the back of their minds for a long time. Just do something that inspires them, that gets them off the couch, that keeps their minds active.
“Yeah, there’s a lot of people that have physical limitations when they get older, but that doesn’t mean they can’t use their minds, be interested in things. There’s so many things that people could do.”
In conclusion, she urged, “When you retire from your careers, don’t retire from life. Stay connected with family and friends and start making new connections. Leave your mind open to possibilities, step out of your comfort zone and try new and different things.
“Retirement presents an opportunity to find your passion, to rekindle the dreams that you might have had when you were younger, give purpose to your final years, leave a legacy and make a difference.”
Doctorthe Ask Murry D. Westberg, O.D.
100 Huntsinger Ave, Park Rapids 732-3389 107 6th St., Walker 547-3666 Murry D. Westberg, O.D. Jen Keller, O.D. R.W. Helm, O.D. 1-877-700-3389 www.prweyeclinic.com
Why do my eyes always feel tired?
This is a very common question, and there are MANY possible causes for tired eyes. I’ll go over three of the more common causes and some solutions for each. Many people work on computer screens all day. While focusing on a screen, we don’t blink our eyes as often as we think. As a result, our eyes tend to dry out, which causes eye fatigue. There are many types of artificial tear products you can use throughout the day to moisten your eyes. There are dozens of different brands on the market - some are good and some can be harmful, so talk to your eye doctor about which ones are best for you. Blue light emitted from our digital devices can cause dry eyes, fatigue, eyestrain, and headaches. It affects your body’s release of melatonin, and can have a negative effect on sleep patterns. It can also have long-term effects on the retina, contributing to macular degeneration. Blue light filtering computer glasses can block this harmful light and help your eyes feel more comfortable throughout the day, and less tired at the end of your work day. Our work environments are typically not ideal for our eyes. Many people work at desks or cubicles where they focus at near for most of their day. This adds to eye strain and fatigue. Remember the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and look at something further than 20 feet away. Get up, move around, look out a window or down a hallway. Your focusing muscles need a break just like other muscles, so give them a rest about every 20 minutes….and remember to blink your eyes! These are just a few of the most common causes of eyestrain and fatigue. If you haven’t had an eye exam in over a year, I recommend getting an exam sometime soon. Changes in your glasses prescription can also cause a great deal of fatigue and strain! Hopefully these suggestions will help your eyes feel better and perform their best!
