The Gs love pesto. And I love pesto because the Gs love it. I even wrote a poem about it. It works with all kinds of meat and veg as well as pasta. And sometimes disguises things they wouldn’t otherwise eat.
This recipe in turn hides a whole heap of leafy green veg. Lovely, lovely iron and vitamin C for all! It also looks gorgeous – a beautiful bright green that is so appealing. And I use a little cheat so the Gs don’t notice anything amiss.
Makes about 10 portions – keep in a jar in the fridge. It can also be frozen.
What you need
- Small head of broccoli
- Half a bag of baby spinach
- Half a bag of kale
What you do
- Blast the spinach for about 2 mins in the microwave until it’s wilted
- Trim the broccoli closely to the florets so as much of the stalk as possible is removed. Trim any woody bits from the kale.
- Boil the broccoli and the kale until tender, about 5 mins.
- Drain all but a smidge of water from the pan, add the wilted spinach and blend like hell in a food processor or with a stick blender.
- From here, if you want to add pine nuts and oil and cheese and garlic, go for it. But life is too short, so I throw in a spoonful of commercial pesto. It adds a more taste familiar taste for any suspicious eaters, and it’s still about 95% leafy green veg.
Pesto pasta is still a favourite meal in this house, but this is also great over grilled lamb chops, mixed with plain greek yoghurt in a potato salad with boiled new potatoes, or loosened with a little olive oil and then drizzled over tomato soup.
Is pesto popular in your house? How do you eat yours?
ciderpashmina 