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I really love pesto, but when we found out my son was severely allergic to all nuts, I stopped making it because of the traditional pine nut base. Well, I decided to try making it without nuts, and it was delicious. The key is using a good nutty cheese, like pecorino romano or parmesan (or both!) I seriously couldn't tell the difference. Phew. Welcome back Pesto, I missed you!
Basil Herb PestoIngredients:
1 large bunch parsley (or other herb of your choice)
1 large bunch of basil (about 20 leaves)
3-4 sprigs of fresh oregano
1 clove garlic (you can use more, but I find 1 clove is plenty as raw garlic is very strong)
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 heaping cup grated pecorino romano or parmesan cheese (I used a combination of both)
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Directions:Wash and roughly chop your herbs (so they are off the stems). Peel the garlic.
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Add the garlic to a food processor (I used my mini Cuisinart) and pulse until minced. You can also do this in a blender.
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Add the herbs to the minced garlic. You can really use any fresh herbs you would like - I just used what I had. You need about 3 cups total of herbs.
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Add the juice of the lemon to the herbs and garlic. Pulse until herbs are finely chopped.
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Add the cheese, and cover and turn on the food processor. Drizzle in the olive oil through the small opening while it is running.
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The mixture should be smooth. Add as much olive oil as you need to obtain "pesto" consistency.
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Give it a taste and add whatever it needs - a pinch of salt and pepper, more lemon, etc. This is a great dipping sauce for bread, let me tell you. I couldn't stop eating it right out of the bowl.
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Store in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to use. It will keep for about 3-4 days.
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This made about a cup and a half of pesto. We used some for our
Roasted Garlic, Pesto & Grilled Chicken Pizza, and the remaining pesto the next night mixed with rotini pasta, grape tomatoes and squash. Both meals were delicious, and I was happy we made pesto "nut-free" for Jack!
I love this! I like the idea of nut free only because I rarely have pine nuts on hand but almost always have parm. cheese in the fridge...this is something I could do last minute...thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLove this idea for nut free pesto! Can't wait to try it out! I LOVE your blog and am so happy I found it!
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