That’s Leftover Pesto!
So after having the essence of pesto making explained to me - I find I can almost always whip up a pesto. And about now, if you’re anything like me you have some slightly wilty herbs in the fridge! And I’m sort of loath to admit but I do have a huge amount of pasta, (I’ve always bought past and rice in giant bags cos it saves money! I’m not hoarding food, I promise!)
Pesto is also delightful to top soups, jacket potatoes, eggs and toast too, and as a dip. It feels nice to be using all the little leftovers in the fridge, and in times of stress a nice warming meal can go a long way!
So all Pesto’s need 4 elements:
‘Green’ a Herb or vegetable
Oil
Nut
Cheese
So your very classic pestos will be
Basil
Olive oil
Pine nuts
Parmesan
But once you have the formula I find you can get pretty crazy! So today I had some sad looking mint and parsley in my fridge. so I did:
Mint + Parsley - about a cup
Olive oil - I started with 2 tablespoons but added in about 3 more to loosen it all up a bit
Cashew and a few hazelnuts - lightly toasted - 2 tablespoons
A smidge of cheddar cheese - 2 tablespoons
And just whizzed this all up in a blender (but you could also mush up in a pestle + mortar) And it was yummy! here are just a few more ideas to get you thinking:
Green: coriander/kale/spinach/sun-dried tomato
Oil: walnut oil/avocado oil/sesame oil
Nut: almonds/walnuts/macadamia
Cheese: Any cheese or cheese substitute
Additional extras if you have them; garlic, a squeeze of lemon, pinch of salt and pepper
And here are even MORE ideas! See how many possibilities there are?!
Wild Garlic Pesto (just in case you get a chance to forage in your allotted exercise time!)
Green: 1 Cup wild garlic leaves
Oil: 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (add bit by bit to get desired consistency)
Nut: 2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
Cheese: 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
squeeze of lemon optional
Mint & Pistachio Pesto (the pistachios work double time as being part of the ‘green’ and the nut as well!)
Green: 2 tbsp chopped mint
Green + Nut: 1 cup roasted shelled pistachios
Oil: 2 - 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Cheese: 3 tbsp grated pecorino cheese