On the Table: Gnocchi with Parsley Hazelnut Pesto

Once when I was visiting a friend in Amsterdam, she made me a delightful dish of pasta with parsley, hazelnuts, and goat cheese.  I decided a couple of nights ago to turn that memorable meal into a pesto with my Cuisinart.

First I toasted one cup of hazelnuts in the oven at 275 for 25 minutes (or until the skins start cracking), then I removed the skins.

I combined the following ingredients in my food processor:

1/2 cup of olive oil
1 cup of the toasted hazelnuts
1 cup of parsely
3 cloves of garlic
2 Tbsp of honey

Then I blended it until it was the proper consistency.

In the meantime, I put some asparagus -- coated in 1.5 Tbsp of Olive Oil, 1.5 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinegar, a shake or two of lemon juice, a shake of salt and some red pepper flakes -- in the oven to roast for about 25 minutes at 375.  I also got my water boiling for the gnocchi.

I cooked the gnocchi according to the directions on the package, drained the water from the pot, and added about half of the parsley pesto to coat.  I plated it up with some asparagus and generously sprinkled the gnocchi dish with some feta.*

Although I'm a huge fan of regular pesto and make it frequently, this was a lovely change up.  What's your favorite type of pesto?

*I actually prefer feta to goat cheese.  I know, I'm a loser.  However, even I can attest that goat cheese would also complete this dish superbly.