We needed fresh parsley the other day.
I knew we needed it, because it’s not something we usually keep around.
We needed fresh parsley–I knew we did, was absolutely sure we did–so I picked some up at the store…
…only to return home and discover that we already had a slightly wilted and forgotten bunch of fresh parsley in the fridge, leftover from another night.
The older bunch of herbs was certainly no longer in its prime, not perky enough to garnish the fancy dinner Micah was making for me, but certainly not yucky enough just yet to toss in the compost pile.
So there I was a few mornings later, brainstorming lunch ideas and faced with not one but two bunches of floppy parsley, not to mention a whole-heck-of-a-big loaf of fresh sourdough.
But what about all that parsley?
A saggy parsley salad with sourdough croutons didn’t strike my fancy. Neither did wilted parsley sandwiches. Even bacon wouldn’t save those.
Then, my brainstorm struck a little lightning.
Pesto lightning.
It seemed like a good idea. After all, pesto is what you make when you’re overrun with fresh basil. Why not make it with parsley instead?
Of course, I didn’t have pine nuts, either. I could have subbed walnuts or pecans, both pine-nut-alternatives that I’ve seen in pesto recipes before.
But then I peeked in the pantry and spied the pistachios.
Pistachios are pretty much my favorite member of the nut family, and not just because they’re green (my favorite color). A perfectly roasted pistachio is crunchy, salty, and just a little bit creamy from all those good-for-you vegetable fats that live in nuts and avocados.
Thus, with the help of my handy dandy food processor, the perfect parsley pistachio pesto was created.
green + good for you!
This stuff was great on bacon tomato sandwiches, and it’s most likely on deck to dress some gnocchi later this week.
What’s in it:
- 2 tightly packed cups chopped fresh parsley (about 1-1/2 bunches, wilted is okay
) - 1/2 cup roasted, salted pistachios
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan
- 1/2 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Step by step:
- Put the parsley, pistachios, garlic, and cheese in the bowl of your food processor and whir everything around a few times until it starts to come together and look more, well, pesto-y.
- Add the vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Pulse the food processor a few more times until your pesto is the consistency you like. If you prefer your pesto smoother than my chunky stuff, just drizzle in a little more olive oil and mix a bit longer.
This recipe makes about 1 packed cup of pesto, which will now keep for a week or two in the refrigerator. Spread it on a sandwich, use it for pasta sauce, or just sneak spoonfuls of it straight from the jar like I’ve been doing all week.
