This is a great base recipe for all sorts of herbs and leafy greens that are seasonally in the garden. Use silver beet to add a bit of bulk to the recipe if herbs are very strong or alternatively, are in short supply.
Ingredients
- 50g bunch Parsley, leaves and stalks (or basil or rocket or coriander)*
- 50g roasted almonds**
- 35g finely grated pecorino, parmesan or kefalograviera
- 100ml (roughly) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium cloves of garlic
- A squeeze of lemon or lime juice
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
*add a couple of sprigs of fresh mint, dill, nasturtium leaves, chives, spring onions, oregano or thyme or whatever you have in the garden
**use other varieties of nuts or combinations of nuts such as walnuts, cashews, pine nuts, pistachios, brazil nuts etc. (If nuts aren’t available, try using breadcrumbs)
Method
- Toast the nuts in the oven or in a dry pan. Be careful not to let them burn.
- Blend the nuts whilst still hot with the garlic in a food processor. This cooks the garlic slightly and makes it very aromatic.
- Add parsley and any additional herbs and blitz to make a paste.
- With the motor running add the oil until you have a puree of mayonnaise consistency.
- Transfer to a bowl and taste, add salt if needed, a squeeze of lemon juice and freshly cracked black pepper of course!
