This recipe was given to me by a friend and is a variation of a basil pesto recipe passed down from her Italian grandmother. Lots of iron, tasty and just plain good.

Step 1: What You'll Need

Well, the main ingredient in Parsley Pesto is the parsley, but here's the list of ingredients and kitchenware...

Ingredients:

Curley Parsley - 1-2 large bunches or 2-3 smaller bunches, depending on the size of the bunches and how many servings. (I sometimes do 2 or 3 larger bunches for myself, but I'm turning green).

Sunflower Seeds - Raw, Shelled (unsalted) - Small bag. You're going to need two handfuls.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Cold Press - Just because. It's good and good for you. I think. You're going to need a bit, I don't measure it.

Asiago - Get a small wedge of this to grate yourself. It tastes great fresh over the pesto.

Whole Wheat Pasta - I prefer some kind of shape for this, usually farfalle, but for this tutorial I just used spagetti.

Spice Blend - Spike or Vegit are great. Mrs. Dash will do in a pinch. Tony Chachere if you want it spicier.

Pepper - To top off the dish. I used a peppercorn medley. Definitely use a mill, fresh pepper is the best.

Optional: Course Kosher Salt - A pinch or two.

Kitchenware:

Colander - Large.

Pot - Large.

Food Processor - A good one. And big. Not some small blender.

Cutting Board

Wooden Spoon

Ladle

Spatula

Tongs

Step 2: Prepping the Parsley

Remove the leaves from the stems. This may take awhile. Put all the leaves in the colander and rinse in cold water to remove any sand of dirt. Squeeze the parsley to wring out as much water as possible and use paper towels to finish drying the leaves.

Step 3: Making the Pesto

Fill the pot with water and bring to a boil. You can add a pinch or two of salt and a few drops of olive oil to the water. The salt will bring it to a boil faster and the olive oil will help keep the pasta from sticking to the pot.

Put half of the parsley in the food processor. Add a little olive oil. Let the food processor run until the parsley in very fined chopped.

When the pot comes to a boil add the pasta. Before the pasta is done take a ladle of broth and add to the parsley. Turn the processor back on. You want the parsley to turn into a creamy paste, it shouldn't be too thick but if it gets too runny you can add extra sunflower seeds to thicken it. Add sunflower seeds. Add extra broth if the pesto is too thick, extra seeds if its too thin. See the photos and video for the right consistency. Once you've got it mixed well add some spice, Spike is the best, but substitute if necessary. Drain pasta when it is to your liking.