This parsley and almond pesto is super easy to make and a nice change from the usual basil pesto. The almonds are almost creamy and the parsley so light and refreshing.
The other week I was asked to do cooking demos at the Edinburgh Foodies Festival. What a treat, now what recipes could I whip up on stage – had to be my herbal recipes and of course that meant pesto – smokey parsley and almond pesto to be exact!
Edinburgh Foodie Festival
The weather was wonderful for this fabulous foodie festival, the sun shone all weekend and the temperature rose enough for everyone to get the holiday vibe, kick back and enjoy the live music, taste all the tipples on offer, sample the food and make full use of the bars!
The Pimms bar was my favourite, it was a very English jolly red teapot.
Of course there were lots of other drinks on offer from the chic Prosecco bar with its jazz music and French lager served from a vintage camper van to Spanish Rioja and very British Gins.
The food available was wonderful and ranged from popcorn to paella, Greek lamb to roast beef, sausages to spit roast pork and nitrogen ice-cream to French macarons. Most definitely something for everyone.
Some fabulous food on offer
I loved going round all the market stalls and met a lovely lady called Audrey Grieve (no relation) who runs a company called Boulevard Cuisine from North Shields where they make a whole range of super tasty smoked goodies, from salts to peppers and oils to mushrooms.
I was enchanted by the flavours and made full use of her Smoked White Pepper and Smoked Garlic Salt to make my Smokey Parsley and Almond pesto that I made every day as part of my demo.
I’ve come home with a batch of their goodies to try in different recipes so more to come…
Ingredients for parsley and almond pesto
For my pesto I used two tablespoons of flaked almonds which I quickly toasted in a dry pan for about 40 seconds (not as easy as it sounds when you are talking non stop and doing this on stage in front of 100 people, a few almonds got a tad too hot!)
These were then these were blitzed in a food processor along with a clove of garlic, a large handful of parsley (I used curly but choose your favourite).
Also the zest and juice of half a lemon, a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese, about 100ml of olive oil and of course the lovely smoked garlic salt and smoked white pepper to really give a depth of flavour.
When I make pesto at home I always use the old-fashioned pestle and mortar method just because I like the whole slow process of it all, the scent of the almonds and garlic coming together and the silkiness when you add the oil.
I thoroughly enjoyed doing my demos at the Edinburgh Foodies Festival, catching up with old friends like Fiona who makes the most amazing chocolates and making new ones too.
It is a real privilege to be asked to do these shows and I have to say my audiences were great, really enthusiastic and so full of compliments.
So thanks to everyone who made the Edinburgh Foodies Festival such a great success, here’s to next year!
How long will this pesto keep
It will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in a sealed jar. Just make sure the top of the pesto is covered with a little oil to keep that gorgeously vibrant green colour.
Can you freeze pesto?
Yes you certainly can. Just spoon it into a labelled freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can also freeze this pesto in an ice cube tray then pop out the cubes of pesto and freeze them in a bag.
This way you have perfect little portions of pesto to add to soups etc whenever you fancy it.
My book – A Passion For Pesto
I love pesto and have even written an Ebook about it. A Passion For Pesto contains lots of valuable information on pest itself plus over 75 recipes for making pesto from everything from herbs to vegetables and even weeds too.
I’ve also included recipes for sweet pestos made from fruits and berries perfect for desserts. Plus there are lots of fun recipes for cooking with pesto.
Looking for more fun and easy pesto recipes? Then check these out before you go;
Apple celery and coriander pesto
Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.
Parsley and Almond Pesto
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp almonds flaked
- 1 clove garlic
- 25 g parsley
- 1/2 lemon juice and zest
- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese grated
- 100 ml olive oil
- salt and pepper I used smoked salt and pepper but that is purely optional
Instructions
- Toast the almonds in a dry pan for 40 seconds or until just golden and aromatic
- Mince the garlic and then add all ingredients to a food processor and whazz to a sauce consistancy.
- Serve as a dip or sauce for pasta or spread on to crusty bread.
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