Spring has sprung, and our local farm market is stocked with the fruits and vegetables of the season, including beautiful dandelion greens. We decided to make a dandelion pistachio pesto for spring.
Classic pesto is usually made with basil and pine nuts. But you can make pesto out of almost any green.
Dandelion greens are packed with nutrients: vitamins A, C, E, and K, along with folate, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium. They have a pleasant slightly bitter, nutty flavor.
Pistachio nuts are also full of vitamins and minerals along with unsaturated fat, the healthy fat that you want in your diet.
Pesto is super easy to make. You basically toss everything into a food processor or blender and whip it up. It makes a tasty treat on its own, is great as a flavor enhancer to salad dressings, soups, pasta dishes — you can even use it as a sandwich spread.
We spread a thin layer on a pizza before we added tomato sauce and cheese, and it added an extra level of flavor.
Experiment, and discover how you like it best.
Dandelion Pistachio Pesto
Equipment
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup pistachio nuts shelled
- 1 bunch dandelion greens trimmed and cleaned (about 2 cups)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/8 cup parmesan or romano cheese
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Put pistachio nuts in food processor and process to a chunky powder.
- Add dandelion greens, garlic, cheese, lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and process until smooth.
- Add olive oil a little at a time while the processor is running. Blend until smooth.
- Store in an airtight glass container.
Video
