Friday, August 28, 2009

Sage-Flat Leaf Parsley Pesto

Recipe from Pestos! by Dorothy Rankin
Husband-Tested in Alice’s Kitchen
Makes about 1 cup

I noticed that Lost River Market & Deli recently started carrying flat leaf parsley in the produce section. I was so glad because it tastes so much better than the curly leaf variety that is used mainly as garnish. I believe people are hesitant to buy the flat leaf parsley because they can confuse it with cilantro. They look quite similar, but have very different tastes. We have sage growing in our garden so I decided to make a pesto with the two herbs. I’ll be able to freeze it and then use it this fall and winter when I want to roast a chicken or turkey. (I plan to spread the pesto under the skin before roasting the birds.) The book suggests even using the pesto to make a cream sauce for pasta. I will try that later this season and if it passes the husband test, I’ll post it on the blog.

½ cup fresh sage leaves
1 ½ cups fresh flat leaf parsley
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup pine nuts or walnuts
½ cup or more olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Combine the sage, parsley, garlic, cheese, and nuts in a food processor or blender. Process to mix. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil. (I add it until it is a thin paste.) Season with salt and pepper and process to the desired consistency. Place in a jar with a lid and refrigerate or freeze. (You can also freeze pesto in ice cube trays and then pop them out and put them in a freezer bag.)

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