Winter Pesto

Fresh basil is nowhere to be found- in our neck of the woods, anyway. But that doesn't mean yours truly lives without pesto. No way. It's too good stirred or plopped into soups, schmeared on croutons and grilled bread. It's fabulous on salmon and fish. Not to mention, of course, pasta. Roasted potato wedges. Eggs. It dresses up rice. Pizza. Hummus.

So I make winter pesto with cilantro and pecans. It's bright, warm and nutty all at once. I spooned a big dab into an Asian style noodle bowl yesterday (yay for sea vegetables!) and it simply hit the spot.

Cilantro lovers- smack your lips. Here's a pesto you will love.



Winter Pesto- Vegan and Dairy-Free

This vegan pesto is big on taste, zero on dairy. You won't miss the cheese, I promise. It never lasts long around here.

2 cups, washed, loosely packed stemmed cilantro
2/3 cup shelled pecans
1-2 cloves fresh garlic
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 to 1/2 cup good tasting extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Sea salt, to taste

Combine the cilantro, pecans, garlic and dried basil in a food processor and process until it turns into a coarse meal. Slowly add extra virgin olive oil and process until it becomes a smooth, light paste. Add enough olive oil to keep it moist and spreadable. Season with sea salt, to taste.

Cover and store chilled for at least an hour to saturate the flavors. I like to pour a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil over the top to help keep it bright green.

Makes roughly a rounded cup.

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