Recipe adapted from The Kitchn This easy pesto can be made in a mortar and pestle* or machine. To blanch the almonds, drop them in a small pot of boiling water. After one minute, drain them in a small sieve and run cool water over them. The skins should slip right off with your fingers. For a more luxurious version, you can substitute shelled unsalted pistachios for some, or all, of the almonds. For a more pistachio-based, garlic forward sauce, you could check out the Pistachio aillade. While I served this with lamb, you can use it like basil pesto to dress pasta. A dollop would be great served with pork and beans as a condiment, or you could add a spoonful to disperse in a bowl of warm bean and vegetable soup. It’s also nice with roasted root vegetables or if your tastes run toward a Moroccan tagine, I can’t imagine it not being perfect with that, too.
Ingredients
4 cups (40g) lightly packed mint leaves (rinsed and spun dry)
1/3 cup (40g) almonds (blanched - see headnote )
2 medium cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
grated zest of one lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil (plus more if necessary)
Categories
Side Dish
Steps
If using a food processor or blender, grind the mint leaves, almonds, garlic and lemon zest together until finely chopped. (You’ll need to stop the machine a few times to scrape down the sides of the bowl or blender.) Season with salt and pepper, then slowly add the olive oil while the machine is running until the mint is a loose paste.
To make in a mortar and pestle, coarsely chop the mint leaves and almonds. Put the almonds, garlic, and lemon zest in the mortar and pound until smooth. Start adding the mint, pounding to incorporate the leaves and create a paste. Keep adding the mint, then add the salt and pepper, then drizzle in the olive oil, using the pestle to pound it in until smooth.
Whether you’ve used a food processor or mortar and pestle, if necessary, add additional olive oil to get it to a loose consistency.
