As you all know I love pesto in all it’s forms, so much so I made an eBook all about it, my Passion For Pesto. Anyway one of the recipes in there is this Nut Free Pesto because all those folks out there with nut allergies really shouldn’t miss out on the wonders of pesto!
Vegan Pesto!
Actually this nut free pesto is also dairy free as the toasted breadcrumbs I use in the recipe also replace the parmesan cheese. In Italy poor people would use bread to replace cheese if they didn’t have any and breadcrumbs became known as paupers cheese.
Feel free to add parmesan if you wish. I like to make it both ways, either with or without the cheese.
I suddenly realised when I was doing this recipe here that all my pestos and sauces are lumped together under savoury preserves. Time for a rework on that score so now there is a section for Sauces and Dips where you’ll find everything from aoili to pesto and all my other sauces and dips.
As ever my blog is an ongoing thing, a work in progress as I come up with new ideas, realise mistakes and find new ways to get things done or even try to embrace technology, urgh! Anyway all a bit like pesto really, you throw in all the ingredients and whazz them about and see what happens, hopefully a wonderful tasty sauce, or in my case a good blog with pretty pictures and nice recipes.
What you will need;
Anyway back to that nut free pesto. You will need 2 slices of good quality white bread, a sprig of fresh thyme or a good pinch of dried thyme, a clove of garlic, two tablespoons of chopped fresh basil and the same of chopped fresh parsley, salt and pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
You can use any herb combination you like here, again check out my Passion For Pesto for 80 different recipes and ideas for pesto, including sweet pestos for desserts.
With this nut free pesto you want to replace the nuts (and parmesan) with the bread but you will want to chop it into cubes, season with salt, pepper and thyme and toast it first then whazz it in the food processor after you have done the garlic, only pulse the processor so you don’t turn the crumbs to pulp. Then add your fresh herbs and drizzle in the oil.
You can use your pesto in so many ways, from adding to a simple bowl of spaghetti to using as a dip or spreading on a sandwich or dolloping into soup, the choice is yours, but this nut free pesto will make your taste buds sing, in Italian of course!
K x
- 2 slices white bread
- 1 sprig fresh thyme or a good pinch dried thyme
- salt and pepper
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- extra virgin olive oil
- Cut the bread into 1cm cubes and toss with the salt, pepper and thyme and drizzle with a little olive oil
- Bake in the oven till golden and crisp, remove and allow to cool completely
- Whizz the garlic in food prcessor
- Add the croutons and pulse till you have crumbs
- Add the herbs and drizzle in the olive oil till you have the consistancy you prefer.
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