Good afternoon! Pesto ideas...I have an enormous gut of parsley, sage

rosemary, oregano, thyme, and mint. Only a few pecans and macadamias. Parmesan also in stock. What are some combinations you would recommend?

Stephanie G
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7 Comments

AntoniaJames September 2, 2021
My favorite sage pesto - which I make in great quantities, freezing in 1.5" cubes for future use - is made with 1 ounce of parmesan, 1 cup sage leaves, 1 cup parsley leaves (with tender stems), a pinch of salt, a splash of red wine vinegar, and a splash of olive oil (adding more olive oil if serving over roasted vegetables, etc.). Blitz parmesan in food processor until its consistently chopped into tiny balls or chunks. Add the herbs and salt and blitz again until it's a smooth paste. Add the vinegar and oil and pulse a few times.

This holds well in the coldest part of your fridge for about a week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

We stir it into bean soups; kale, sausage and potato soup; and similar winter stews and soups. As noted above, it's also good slathered (with a bit extra olive oil) on roasted vegetables, notably, wedges of butternut squash roasted with red onions.

It also serves nicely spread as a base layer on pizzas with no tomato sauce.

This is based loosely on a recipe on the Cook's illustrated site for a butternut and white bean soup. ;o)
 
Stephanie G. April 2, 2020
I am so sorry..it appears I was unclear with my question. I am looking for herb combinations for a pesto with the herbs I have on hand.
 
Nancy April 2, 2020
No worries.
Yes, I got that you wanted to do pesto.
But feared you'd run out of nuts and might have herbs left over and might want some ideas for them.

 
Nancy April 1, 2020
Use the (fresh) soft herbs in quantity in salad.
Fry the sage leaves and use as a garnish for some main dishes.
Use raw sage in soups or stuffings.
In case there is too much to use up while in good fresh condition, they all fresh well: the sage and rosemary in plastic bags, the others chopped and in small plastic containers or ice cube trays, for already-portioned additions to other dishes.
 
Nancy April 1, 2020
They all freeze well.
 
Miss_Karen April 1, 2020
Reference ramp chimichurri challah on myjewishlearning.com
 
Miss_Karen April 1, 2020
Well, if it were me I would make a paste from the parmesan & rosemary (or whatever combo of herbs grabs you.). Make a challa dough or enriched bread dough. Seperate into strands. Roll out each strand into a long rectangle & Spread the paste onto each strand roll it up cinnamon roll style. Then plait the strands. Bake.
You could make a pasta or gnocchi dish with fried sage sauce. Garnish with chopped macadamia nuts.
 
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