Arugula pesto: to blanch or not to blanch?

[Jenise]

When I make a pesto out of arugula, I use fresh arugula but a recipe I encountered when googling this weekend instructed the cook to blanch the arugula first. Has anyone compared the two methods to reccomend blanching over not blanching? Offhand, I would guess that blanching would sweeten the green a little bit, plus it might make it less susceptible to discoloration, though I don't recall my leftover pesto turning brown on me in the past.

Dear Jenise,

I've not tried blanching either, and the version I used stayed green for at least a week. I doubt it would hurt, but why bother as the fresh leaves make a smooth paste anyway?

Walt

I interviewed Lidia Bastianich last week and, interestingly, one of the things we talked about was Pesto. I wanted to get her take on all the variations on the theme (which I don't recall seeing 20 years ago). She talked about he most common types of Pesto from her home region and cooking experiences (basil, arugula, spinach, broccoli). The recipe the whipped off for our listeners was arugula Pesto. She did not mention blanching it first.

[Jenise]

Walt, that's kind of what I thought. Not sure what blanching would do that one needs getting done.

Jo Ann--interview? That's impressive. Sounds like radio--who do you interview for?

Jo Ann--interview? That's impressive. Sounds like radio--who do you interview for?

I host a weekly food show for the Washington Talking Book and Braille Library's radio services.