Gourmet Pesto Sauce - Arugula Pesto, Walnut Pesto, Pumpkin Pesto for Your Pasta and Appetizers

Innovative pesto flavors - artichoke and lemon, Vidalia onion, sweet pumpkin, and arugula and pine nut - transform everyday meals to specialty dishes.

A traditional Northern Italian pesto pasta sauce begins with garlic, basil and pine nuts crushed together. Olive oil and Parmesan Reggiano are then blended in. Today's modern pesto sauce makers have infused a myriad of flavors from many cultures. But they still can be used to make spaghetti with pesto and pesto appetizers. Artichoke and lemon pesto is one of my summer favorites. For Autumn dishes I've discovered Sweet Pumpkin pesto. For a twist on the traditional Italian pesto, there's Arugula and Pine Nut Pesto. To celebrate Georgia agriculture give Sweet Vidalia pesto a try.

Spaghetti with Pesto and Chicken

CyberCucina is one of the best online gourmet shops you'll find. In addition to delicious pestos, there is a wonderful variety of marinara pasta sauces, sun-dried tomatoes, Puttanesca sauce and San Marzano creamy vodka sauce. Fill your pantry with some of these wonderful sauces and you'll always be ready for dinner.

CLICK HERE to See All of the Sauces, Spreads and Pestos at Cyber Cucina

Artichoke Lemon Pesto

Perfect for Pesto Appetizers

Artichoke Lemon Pesto Grande From Bella Cucina - $29.95
from: CyberCucina.com
Use this pesto to make an easy appetizer dip. Just combine 1 cup of the artichoke and lemon pesto with 1/4 cup mayonaise and 1/c Parmesan cheese. Serve with a rustic artisan bread for dipping and your favorite red wine. I made this the last time I hosted my bookclub and it was a big hit. The artisan bread is a nice change of pace instead of crackers. You could also serve this pesto with torta de aceite de oliva, olive oil flatbread, the newest coffee shop craze.

Using high-quality prepared items makes my life so much easier. I don't stress about having friends stop by and hosting events when I have a pantry of pestos and sauces standing by that let me quickly make unique recipes.

Arugula Pine Nut Pesto

Marinade for Fish and Chicken

Arugula Pine Nut Pesto By Bella Cucina - $10.50
from: CyberCucina.com
A light and exotic herbal flavor to infuse your fish and chicken with a European flair. Use it as a marinade for a light summber barbecue. Take a very fresh piece of fish and just grill it. Then take it to the next level with a dollop of Arugula and Pine Nut pesto. For an authentic Italian salad, take a handful of radicchio, arugula and other dark leafy greens. Rinse and spin dry with your salad spinner. Then toss with tomoato and mozzerella cheese. Getting your salad really dry is the key. The pesto will adhere to dry greens much better and give them a richer flavor, with fewer calories. It also makes your ingredients last longer.

I learned how to cook like the little boys in the video, at the side of many older Italian women. Pesto doesn't cover up the taste of pasta like heavier tomato and cheese sauces, so it works best with homemade or very high-quality pasta.

Homemade pasta cooks much faster than prepared pastsa so you have to keep an eye on it. I then lightly toss it with Italian olive oil to prevent any sticking and then mix in the pesto. Sprinkle with some Parmesan Reggiano cheese and you've got a wonderful meal. If you don't have time to make your own pasta, then CLICK HERE to see some great prepared pasta for your pesto.

Making Pasta with Nonna

Pesto is Best with Fresh and Homemade Pasta

Sweet Vidalia Onion Pesto

Perfect Pesto Appetizers

Sweet Vidalia Onion Pesto By Bella Cucina - $10.50
from: CyberCucina.com
If you love onion dip, but are getting bored with it, then change it up with a Pesto Appetizer and dip made from Sweet Vidalia Onion Pesto. (Just take the Vidalia onion pesto and combine it with some mayonaise and parmesan cheeese to taste.) The very sweet Vidalia onion gives this dip a special flavor.

If you've recently invested in a panini sandwich maker and are trying your hand at rustic and rich gourmet sandwiches, don't forget to add some pesto. It's the spreads that often make a deli sandwich so fantastic. The sweet onion flavor will complement just about any sandwich you'd put a sliced onion on.

Sweet Pumpkin Pesto

Filing for Ravioli and Risotto

Sweet Pumpkin Pesto By Bella Cucina - $10.50
from: CyberCucina.com
Make your favorite risotto recipe and add this Sweet Pumpkin pesto. The combination of pumpkin, sweet potato, orange juice, onions, brown sugar, butter, sage makes it taste like you spent hours chopping all of the seasonings. To wow them at your next dinner party (or just to surprise your family) use this sweet pumpkin pesto as filling in your homemade ravioli. Don't be initmidated by this thought. Just go to your supermarket and you'll find ravioli dough and wonton dough waiting for you. And yes, this is great in wontons - fried or steamed.

Walnut Sage Pesto

Perfect for Mushroom Stuffing

Walnut Sage Pesto by Bella Cucina - $10.50
from CyberCucina.com
A delightful blend of sauteed sage leaves and chopped walnuts. Create delicious mushroom appetizers instantly when you use this as a stuffing. Enjoy the health benefits of walnuts in delicious gourmet foood. Of course pesto is always perfect on pasta.

Organic Genoa Pesto Sauce

Combine with Pasta Sauce for a Deeper Flavor

Pesto alla Genovese - Organic Pesto Sauce from Genoa - Only $15.50
This pesto sauce begins with Ligurian basil, pine nuts from the Italian country side, a healthy amount of cashews and extra virgin olive oil. The result is an authentic flavor that most Americans will never be able to recreate with spices and ingredients found in their grocery stores or even gardens. The fact is that that authentic flavor depends upon the Italian soil. The minerals and water give it a unique flavor that can't be recreated in another part of the world. Thankfully, it's easy to add a dollop to pasta sauce. Click Here to order this pesto sauce from CyberCucina.com.