When you have grown a herb garden, you are naturally keen to use your produce to make those long lazy afternoons around a grazing table memorable and what better way to use up your homegrown coriander, mint and a lemon from the home orchard than for this recipe.
We all know about pesto made with basil and pine nuts, but coriander (cilantro) with cashew nuts makes a delicious pesto to be served on an antipasto board with a variety of cheeses, dips, homemade bread and delicious goodies like caramelized onions and roasted red peppers, nuts and grapes, plus a glass of red wine!
Coriander Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cilantro/coriander leaves – packed fairly tight
- ¼ cup mint leaves – packed fairly tight
- ½ cup roasted cashews salted or unsalted – if using salted you won’t need extra salt
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- juice of one large lemon
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¾ cup olive oil plus a little extra
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Wash your coriander leaves carefully, removing any yellow or damaged leaves, and do the same for the mint – using leaves only and not the stalks.
- Place the coriander and mint leaves in a food processor along with the crushed garlic, Parmesan, cashew nuts and lemon juice and start the motor. If you are living off grid and are not into electrical appliances then you can use a mortar and pestle to grind the pesto.
- Pour in the olive oil in a slow steady stream, while the motor is running, until the pesto is finely chopped. If doing it by hand add a little olive oil at a time to your mortar while grinding.
- Stop the motor and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Place your pesto into the sterilized jars, using the extra olive oil to cover the top of the pesto so the leaves don’t get a chance to oxidize and go black, seal with the lid and place in the refrigerator.
This product lasts for around 7 days in the refrigerator – if your guests and family can leave it alone that long!
If preparing pesto for a special occasion I usually leave a note on the jar stating the event it is for, and the date so it doesn’t disappear from the refrigerator.
I find it great for adding to a grazing platter; as an addition to homemade pizza; on toasted ciabatta bread or to spice up chicken wraps, or over lamb, as in the photo below:
It is also great for adding to plain pasta:
Did you try this no-cook recipe? Let us know in the comments below. And if you haven’t, be sure to pin it on one of your Pinterest boards for later!
As a child I wanted to grow up and marry a farmer… simply because it was so different from my life right on the shores of the ocean. Well, I didn’t marry a farmer but a surfer instead. The urge, however, to grow stuff and make great food for a big family never left. We are on acreage with a sea view and easy access to fresh caught crayfish and other seafood – the best of both worlds. As an artist and writer I enjoy creating new recipes, tweaking traditional ones, and sharing the results not only with family and friends, but online.