Our Veggie Kitchen

The weather finally decided to jump into summer around here. And one of my favorite uses for summer herbs is pesto. My cilantro went to seed this year before I could get a single decent harvest, so cilantro pesto will be from the store this year. But my basil is just coming in and my parsley and oregano are out of control, so this pesto was perfect. It's a parsley and oregano pesto with a little basil and lemon zest.

Also, this is good hot or cold. If serving cold, give the pesto some time to rest or the garlic & oregano will be too strong.



Pasta Salad with Greek Pesto
1 lb pasta (penne, fusili, etc)
3 cups green beans, cut into 1-2 inch lengths
Greek Pesto:
1 bunch parsley, divided (about 2 cups, loosely packed)
1/2 cup basil loosely packed, divided
1/4 cup oregano loosely packed, divided
2 Tbs cashews
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 lemon, zested & juiced
1 tbs miso
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt

For the pesto: Chop up the herbs, mix well and reserve half. Put the other half in a food processor or blender, with the other ingredients. Puree into a paste. Mince the remaining herbs, then add to the paste. Pulse to combine. If using with cold pasta, let rest for at least an hour or, preferably in the refrigerator overnight. If using on hot pasta, you can use it right away. The heat will mellow the raw flavor of freshly minced garlic.

For the pasta: Combine the pasta and green beans in boiling water and cook until the pasta is al dente. Drain. For cold pasta salad, plunge into cold water to cool the pasta. Drain and stir in the pesto. For hot pasta, drain, return to the pan and stir in the pesto.

Note: my blender doesn't handle this quantity of pesto well. I either make a double batch with the blender or I use a coffee grinder for a single batch. Pesto freezes well, so I usually do a double batch.

5 Servings: 471 cal (12g fat, 77g carbs, 15g protein)