Roasted Garlic Lemony Pesto
My garden was small this year. I didn’t have the space or time to plan out my usual patch of tomatoes, eggplants, zucchini, herbs and flowers. Which I suppose isn’t a big deal because I’m not a spectacular gardener anyway. I always start out each February with lofty goals and high hopes but when August and September rolls around, I find myself staring at my garden with more than a little disappointment. Nothing grows nearly as well as I had hoped and by late summer the task of watering the garden has fallen in importance and I just end up hoping for rain. I’m the sort of person that ought to be able to grow a decent garden so I consider this a personal failing and every winter decide to mend my ways and be a more dedicated gardener. So Watch out summer 2021!
I’m not bad at growing herbs though. I’ve always been able to keep those smaller plants alive and that brought me more than enough satisfaction this year. My basil is exploding right now and I can hardly keep up with it. There are plenty of spectacular things to make with basil but I find myself always returning to the ever so predictable pesto.
I’ve been making pesto the same way for the last decade so I thought that this year I should play around with my recipe a bit. Roasting garlic till it is divinely jammy has been one of my favorite things to do lately so I started with that. When caramelized its typical harshness is transformed into the most perfect little nugget of flavor, and I find that once roasted, garlic plays so much better with other ingredients. I also started adding parsley and thyme to the mix and was delighted by the subtle flavor they brought. But the lemon zest was my favorite addition. It brightens up the pesto in such a lovely way.
I love that when making something like pesto, a recipe is really more of a list of suggestions. Measuring out basil leaves always seems open to your own interpretation. How much you use then alters the amount of oil needed in the end. And no harm will come to the sauce if you put in too much or too little nuts or cheese. It’s a you do you sort of recipe. That said, I’ve written down what I do. And I quite like what I do. It’s so yummy.
Also, I have to say that making pesto and having it in the fridge is one of those things that gives me way too pleasure. Just knowing that it is sitting in the fridge waiting to be turned into a super easy supper or a special grilled cheese sandwich fills me with glee.
Roasted Garlic Lemony Pesto
Ingredients:
- 5 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 3 cups packed fresh basil
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
- 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, toasted
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Lemon zest from one lemon
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4-5 sprigs of lemon thyme, woody stems removed (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
- Toast the garlic in an 8-inch dry skillet over medium heat till they are fragrant and browning in spots, about 7-10 minutes. Or, let them roast in a toaster oven for 10 minutes on hi heat. Transfer the garlic to a plate and let them cool before peeling.
- Process the peeled garlic, basil, parsley, oil, seed, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, and thyme (if using) in a food processor till smooth. Season with salt and pepper (start with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper) and add more oil if it is too thick.