SORREL PESTO WITH MARCONA ALMONDS

Have you made a New Year's resolution?

This may sound dorky.... but every January I aim for one big theme for the year. I started this tradition in 2008 - projected (by me) to be "The Year of Fun."  It turned out that 2008 brought me terrible health and the US economy went to hell. Nonetheless my "Year of Fun" moniker seemed to work miracles - I have great memories of dragging my tired self to ride roller coasters and squealing with abandon alongside my kids. Somehow my intention to look for fun helped me laugh at myself and see lightheartedness and small joys even when the tenor of the times was weighted with worry. 

I'm not sure what this year's theme will be, but it could be to take more time for nature. I really should start in our backyard garden - we have neglected it these past few months. Throughout the fall and winter, P and the kids are off at school all day and creep home after the sun has gone down, and I'm BUSY working on the book and cooking like a fiend. All of our veggies have been a bit ignored. Nonetheless, the strong are surviving and that's why I'm talking about sorrel today. Sorrel is one hearty plant and its fortitude warrants a little love today.

A few months ago Rach said she was whipping up sorrel pesto in her kitchen and urged us to try it. We're happy we did. Sorrel, with its tangy citrusy bite holds its own with raw garlic, while good olive oil, Parm, and Marcona almonds mellow things out nicely.
 

INGREDIENTS
{printable recipe}

• 2 cups loosely packed sorrel leaves (arugula would make a nice peppery substitute here)
• 1/3 cup salted and roasted Marcona almonds
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
• pinch of salt
• a few grinds of the pepper mill
• 1/2-2/3 cup olive oil

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor and you've got Sorrel Pesto!

Of course this pesto is good on pasta, pizza, or a sandwich, but we also like it slathered onto grilled fish, or roasted chicken, or poached eggs. Just this morning, I scooped some sorrel pesto onto my frittata. Yum!

For more pesto love check out:

• Phyllis's ode to pestos and gremolata
• Laura's Kale-Walnut Pesto
• Emma's Broccoli + Arugula Pesto

And I'd love to hear your New Year's resolutions if you are willing to share...

xo
E

TOASTED PISTACHIO PESTO

My belly is still recovering from overindulging in a delicious Thanksgiving feast. How about yours?  Every year I am shocked to be hungry in the days after Thanksgiving. But here I am, back in the kitchen, ready for more.

Speaking of thanks, topping my list of things to be thankful for this year (and the list is long!) is...  my mom is healthy and cancer-free after a very scary couple of months.  I continue to be awed by her strength, attitude, grace, and resilience. When I brought her home after her second surgery last month, I told her I'd cook anything she craved. She wanted pesto. The sweet, funky, grocery store in her little town doesn't always stock pine nuts, but they did have some really good, roasted, organic pistachios from a farm nearby. I was inspired. I whipped up some chunky, rustic, and super flavorful pesto for my hungry mom. I was sure to pack in an extra dose of love in this meal knowing how essential every bite is to her healing process. She wolfed down her bowl of pistachio pesto pasta and continued to crave and eat bowls of pesto pasta for days. I was so honored to feed my mom.

I've been playing around with this recipe ever since. I tried adding some lemon zest and that didn't work. I substituted parsley for basil - success. I thought sweet and nutty Piave would be a great partner to the standard Parmesan and it was. I also ended up loving the addition of whole pistachios, leaves of parsley, and extra grated cheese to be scattered over the platted pesto pasta - the varied texture of the deconstructed pesto elements gives this classic a refreshing new life.

Like pretty much all of the recipes I share with you, this one is only as good as its ingredients. The pistachios need to be flavorful, the parsley fresh and perky, and the cheese delicious. I hope this recipe nourishes you as it did my mom.


INGREDIENTS (printable recipe)

• pasta of your liking
• 3/4 cup pistachios, roasted (or if raw follow my roasting suggestions below)
• 2 cups loosely packed Italian parsley leaves
• 1/4 cup finely grated Piave (if you cannot find Piave, you can just use Parmesan)
• 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan (plus some extra for the table)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped
• 1/2-3/4 cup olive oil
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Heat a large pot of pasta water while you make the pesto.

If you are using raw pistachios, do the following.... Heat a skillet over medium heat on the stove top. Toss in the raw pistachios and give them a shake occasionally to ensure even browning. It should take about 5-7 minutes to toast the pistachios this way. Set pistachios aside to cool to room temp before using.  They will firm up a bit as they cool to room temp.

For garnish later, set aside 1/4 cup roasted whole pistachios, 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, 1/4 cup mixed grated cheeses.

Get out your blender. Place remaining pistachios in the blender and pulse until the nuts are very coarsely chopped. (I think this coarse texture really makes the dish). Add remaining parsley leaves and pulse again a few times to blend. Add just enough olive oil to make the mixture move - about 1/2 cup. Add garlic, remaining cheese, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Barely blend in order to preserve that coarse texture. Taste to see if you'd like additional salt or pepper. Add if needed.

Cook your pasta.

Scoop pesto onto piles of warm pasta. Scatter a few whole pistachios and parsley leaves over each plate. Pass the grated cheese, salt, pepper grinder, and even a little dish with extra pesto.

Enjoy!

Fried Green Tomato BLT

This sandwich is a new one for me. I am by no means a Southern cook and I have never made fried green tomatoes. Yesterday, I was trying to tame my jungle of tomato plants and accidentally broke off a number of branches. It pained me to throw away beautiful tomatoes we worked hard to grow. So what if they aren't ripe....

Ingredients for each sandwich:

2 slices of your favorite bread: levain or pain de mie would be delicious (I used Pamela's gluten free bread rolls)

2 slices bacon

3 slivers avocado

1 piece butter lettuce or watercress

mayo (homemade, if you are so inclined) or pesto (see last recipe)

1 slice fried green tomato (read below)

This description may clog your arteries just reading it, so beware...

Cook your bacon in a large cast iron pan. Keep the pan hot after the bacon is done. Slice green tomatoes into 1/4 inch slabs. Lightly coat with flour ( I used sorghum flour). Dip in lightly beaten egg. Then coat with cornmeal. Place battered tomatoes in the hot bacon grease. (If this sounds too intense for you, you can use veggie oil). Cook 3 minutes on each side.

Pile all the goodies on your bread. Gotta love not wasting food you've grown.

FOOD 52 Editor's Pick

Lazy Pesto

Usually I don't have luck growing basil - it regularly goes to seed before I can harvest much. But this year I have a really good crop and all I can think is - Pesto! Far from innovative, pesto is still such a classic and a crowd pleaser. I make mine in a blender and the whole thing is done in minutes.
Put about 2 cups loose basil leaves in blender. Add 2 cloves pressed garlic, 3/4 cup pine nuts, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan, 1 cup olive oil, and salt to taste. Blend all ingredients and it is ready to go.
I keep a jar of pesto in the fridge for a quick pasta dinner, but the sauce is also great on a sandwich, or grilled halibut.