Garden Pesto

from Food Day Canada

This vibrant herb pesto is dairy-free and nut-free, almost reminiscent of an Argentinian chimichurri sauce, but with less tang, allowing the herbs to shine! By pulsing the herbs together and not over-mixing, you maintain a vibrant green colour.  Use it as a base for a fresh tomato salad or toss it with freshly cooked pasta.  

Although pesto normally calls for olive oil, we like to keep it all-Canadian by using local sunflower or camelina oil. 

Ingredients

¼ cup (60 mL)0 packed fresh Italian parsley

¼ cup (60 mL) fresh chives

¼ cup (60 mL) packed basil leaves

2 large kale leaves, stemmed and roughly chopped

1/2 cup (125 mL) oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp (10 mL) red wine or apple cider vinegar

1 tsp (5 mL) kosher salt

Pinch freshly ground pepper

Directions

In a food processor, pulse parsley, chives, basil, kale and garlic until finely chopped.

With machine running, stream in oil, salt and vinegar and pepper, pulsing to combine.

Time: 8 minutes

Makes: 1 1/4 cups (310 mL)

Nada’s Tips & Tricks: As our gardens flourish in the summer sun, substitute whatever overflowing greens you have and make a fresh batch that will have a different twist on this recipe.

Recipe and Photo by: Chef Cara Tegler, Recipe Developer & Culinary Educator. https://www.fooddaycanada.ca/recipes/garden-pesto