Maybe I’m the last person in the world to find out, but I don’t think so. Pesto is not only a yummy sauce for pasta and pizza, but also a great way to use up certain types of greens. Wait, let me rephrase that in a more optimistic tone: Pesto is a great way to enjoy and appreciate the bountiful offerings of the farm. How’s that?
Anyway, my first foray into non-basil pesto was with the CSA offering of sorrel. I had never worked with sorrel before, so consulting the Two Small Farms website for guidance was a must. I saw the word “pesto” in the title of the recipe and off I went, throwing garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and olive oil into the food processor.
A few weeks later, Joyce found a recipe for kale and walnut pesto. Another chance to eat pesto while using up the week’s greens. Joyce’s kale pesto was delicious. My attempt was good, but a little grassy. The recipe calls for parsley, along with kale.
What’s pesto? Greens pureed along with pine nuts/walnuts, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt and pepper. Go crazy. Experiment. Use whatever greens that need attention. Let me know how your brocolli pesto turns out (or maybe not).
Just this past week, I happened to have some mint, chives and cilantro. To that I added some basil. Pesto for dinner.
