~ "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; Through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." ~ "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" ~ "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy." ~ "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."~

Friday, July 3, 2009

Cilantro Pesto


Cilantro Pesto... Warning:This may be a bit different.
Pesto, traditionally done with basil. But, I had a bunch too much of cilantro sitting around. I had some cilantro ready to be picked in the garden, so I didn't want it to go to waste, Now, that would be a shame. I thought why not make a pesto! It freezes very well and I could use it later for all sorts of recipes. We know it goes well with pasta. But, I love to use it in other recipes to bring in a ton of flavor.I love to take a tablespoon and mix it in some cucumber yoghurt sauce. It is great served with grilled meats. I love to use it as an addition to marinades.You can add a bit to a salad dressing. It is a rather quick recipe to make and have around. I didn't have any pine nuts, so I used what I had...pecans. Feel free to add pine nuts/almonds. Also, if you don't care for the cilantro, stick to the original ingredient....just use basil (you might be better off:).
Note: if you don't like to use the food processor for this, just chop by hand.
You will need: feel free to adjust amounts to your liking
1 bunch cilantro
1 large garlic clove,sliced
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup pecans
1 tsp kosher salt
Drizzle:
1/2 cup olive oil
Directions:
Place all ingredients(except oil), in a food processor.
Do not put in the oil yet, set it aside. Process till nicely blended and pureed...oh, I don't know, maybe about 1 minute or so. Stop and check the consistency. Making sure all the nuts and garlic have been minced You will see that the ingredients have formed a coarse paste. Don't overdo it though.
With the food processor running, pour in the oil slowly.
Place in small containers(or ice cube trays)and freeze. You can use it with pasta, as an addition to a marinade, mix it in some sour cream and use as a dip , etc.

6 comments:

Salon de Sucre said...

Oh I love this!! thanks for the step by step!!

Ellie said...

Room design studio, You are welcome! BTW, your blog is beautiful!

Les said...

just made this, it is fantastic !! i substituted Hazelnuts which worked great!

Ellie said...

I am so glad you tried the pesto, Les! Thanks so much for taking the time to share your feedback.... The hazelnut addition sounds like a great idea. I'm thinking most nuts should work... Sometimes I add a mixture, depending on what I have on hand.

nanette said...

thanks for this! A local store (Houston, Tx)used to make this and I was trying to remember the ingredients. It is delicious! I'm sure these are the same ingredients, except they added a serrano pepper - it doesn't give too much heat if you take out the seeds, but gives a deeper flavor. I may try it with walnuts. For us in southeast Texas, cilantro is a winter herb!

Ellie said...

Nanette, You are most welcome. I sure like the idea of the serrano pepper! I think it will go amazingly well with the cilantro. Great idea... will need to try that.
Sure hope the pesto will be as close to the one you remember:).... you can definitely adjust quantities to taste.
Thanks for stopping by...