Eat Your Greens: Radish Green, Chive & Parsley Pesto with Walnuts & Feta
I'm of the camp that if it's a green, it can be used to make pesto. So when I bought a pretty bunch of radishes from Lakewinds Co-op to make my pickled veggies for Taco Tuesday, I felt compelled to save the greens and do something with them. Pesto was the obvious choice and I happened to have some chive and parlsey to round it out. Radish greens have a nice peppery flavor, somewhat similar to arugula. I personally wouldn't eat them on their own or as a salad, and many people would probably toss them in the trash, but I try to prescribe to the produce version of nose-to-tail cooking when possible.
For all the pestos I've made in my life, I think I've only used the ever-expensive pine nut once (as much as I love them). Toasted walnuts are a nutty, flavorful and less expensive alternative that I almost always use in place of pine nuts. I didn't happen to have any Parmesan on hand, shockingly, but swapped in a salty feta with Mediterranean herbs instead. No one was the wiser.
Pesto is so versatile. My first use for it was in a Quick Pesto Shrimp with White Wine dish, that is lick-your-fingers delicious and oh-so-easy. You could throw it in the baked tomato dish I posted last week as an added Italian element, or even use it as a pizza or pasta sauce. I'm thinking about adding it to a shellfish broth at some point, too...stay tuned.
Radish Green, Chive & Parsley Pesto with Walnuts & Feta
Makes: ~1 cup
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 bunch of radish greens, removed from radishes, rinsed and roughly chopped
1/3 package of chives, roughly chopped
1 c. parsley, bottom part of stems removed
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 pinch salt/pepper
1/2 c. walnuts, toasted (toasting is optional)
1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1/3-1/2 c. olive oil
Method:
1. If you're toasting your walnuts, do this first. It's not necessary, but adds a nice roasted flavor and makes it easier to break down in the food processor—just shimmy around in a hot pan for a few minutes until golden. Immediately remove from heat and place in a bowl to cool while preparing other ingredients.
2. Roughly chop all greens and add to food processor, along with garlic cloves, salt/pepper and cooled walnuts. Process on high until ingredients have broken down into a nice chop.
3. Add in walnuts, feta cheese, lemon juice and vinegar and start the processor again. While running, fill the tube spout attachment on your food processor with olive oil and process until smooth. The amount of olive oil needed is really dependent on how smooth versus chunky you like your pesto. Taste as you go, adding more of any of the ingredients to suit your tastes.
