Soft Herb Pesto

I hate throwing away leftover herbs. And I love pesto, so this is a win win. You can use pesto on pretty much anything. On pasta, to dip bread into, in a omelette, under the skin for roasted chicken, spread on fish. . . on a spoon like I sometimes do. Traditionally pesto has Parmesan cheese, but you really won't miss it here.

Herbs:
The only thing to remember is to use mostly soft herbs. That would be parsley, basil, cilantro, tarragon, chervil, chives, mint. They usually have soft stems. Woody herbs would be rosemary, thyme and oregano. It's not that you can never include the woody ones, but just a little bit or else it won't blend up nice and smooth. Plus their flavor can be much more potent, so you don't need a ton.

For this batch, I used cilantro, mint and a little basil.

Nuts:

Pinenuts are usually used in pesto. If you have them, but all means use them because they're creamy and delicious. I hardly ever use them because they're so damn expensive. However, I usually have almonds in my freezer (where all nuts should be stored) and they work great. Trader Joes is great for nuts. They have the best prices. I've also used pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, what have you. This recipe is a guideline, not set in stone. 

The toasting of the nuts, however, IS. This is a vital step not to be skipped. It really brings out the flavor of the nuts and adds richness to the pesto.

Garlic:

My mother and I have a rule. Whatever the recipe says, triple the garlic. Ok, I know for some people that sounds extreme. In the case of pesto, or any application where you're using the garlic raw, this rule does not apply. My sister Emily once made that mistake with Gazpacho and YEOWZA! Holy garlic!!! So I put 1-2 cloves in this pesto. If you're not a fan of garlic, you may even go half a clove. 

So here we go...

Soft Herb Pesto

1/4 cup sliced almonds (or other nuts)

2 1/2 cups soft herbs, lightly packed

1-2 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled

1 1/2 Tbs fresh lemon or lime juice

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

Place the nuts in a dry skillet. Turn on to medium heat and slowly let the nuts toast, tossing pretty regularly. Keep an eye on them because they can burn pretty easily. Once you can start to smell them and they get lightly golden, they're ready.

Place nuts, herbs, garlic and juice in a blender and puree. With the blender running, slowly pour in the olive oil until you have a smooth emulsion. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put it on everything.

Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus

Many years ago, I WAY OD'd on hummus. To this day, I don't usually love it because of how much I ate at one time. This recipe isn't technically a hummus because I don't use (or really care for) Tahini. If you love it, by all means, add a bit.

This is a sweet and savory bean dip that is great with veggies, pita or as a spread on a sandwich.

Roasted Sweet Potato Hummus

1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped into 2" pieces

4 Tbs olive oil, divided

1 14.5 oz can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

1 clove of garlic, peeled

1-2 Tbs fresh lemon juice (or to taste)

1 Tbs fresh parsley or chives, chopped

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

Place the sweet potato on a sheet pan and drizzle with 2 Tbs olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss and roast for about 20 minutes, or until golden.

Place roasted sweet potato, drained garbanzo beans, and garlic in a food processor and puree.  If it's having trouble mixing well, you can add a couple Tablespoons of water to get it going. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and puree again until smooth. Add the herbs at the last minute and season to taste.