Pesto Dell'uomo Povero (poor Man's Pesto)

Total Time: 17 mins Preparation Time: 5 mins Cook Time: 12 mins

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup hard bread (stale and toasted broken into medium crumbs)
• 2 cups fresh herbs such as basil or 2 cups a combination italian parsley, thyme, tarragon, arugula, basil etc
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup olive oil, plus as much needed to complete consistency
• 1/3 cup hard dry cheese such as parmigiano (manchego, romano, a harder emmental or a combination)
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh grated citrus zest such as lemons (completely optional) or 1/2 tablespoon orange (completely optional)
• salt

Recipe

• 1 take a leftover loaf of stale french or italian bread. crush but not to small and toast in oven untill light brown not burnt. it is very important that the bread is dry to create the right consistency not mush.
• 2 tear and chop fresh herbs (remembers some herbs are more potent than others so use caution) .
• 3 toast garlic cloves with skin on in a skillet until slightly tender, seven minutes. remove skins.
• 4 fresh garlic is fine but toasting it seems to help rid some of its effects (if using fresh use less).
• 5 grate the cheese.
• 6 combine ingredients in a blender and pulse.
• 7 while pulsing slowly drizzle oil in until consistency has reached a very thick sauce or to the consistency you desire.
• 8 add zest and salt to personal taste.
• 9 use fresh this does keep for a day or so. if kept to long bread crumbs get soggy and that makes a gross mushy mess.