Make Ahead

Radish leaf hazelnut pesto

by:
September  8, 2010
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0 Ratings
Radish leaf hazelnut pesto
  • Serves scant cup
Author Notes

Ever since I came across a delicious day recipe for radish pesto using the leaves, I've been raring to go. Eager to use some hazelnuts from my deep freezer and hazelnut oil which has been languishing in my pantry, I combined them. The pesto has a bright green colour, a slightly peppery flavour with a gentle edge of bitterness. Tips : 1) once my hazelnuts have cooled, I grind them in my spice grinder and add that to the mix to be blended. 2) I always minimise the salt I use in the making of my pesto till the end (and after I've added the cheese). This prevents me from oversalting. 3) Add 1/3 of the grapeseed oil and increase if you want it thinner —Kitchen Butterfly

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Well washed green leaves from a bunch of radishes (mine weighed in at 40g)
  • 20g skinned hazelnuts (filberts), gently toasted & ground
  • 30g freshly grated pecorino/parmesan cheese
  • 1 small clove of garlic, to taste
  • Skin of 1 kumquat (or some citrus either a tablespoon of juice or 1 teaspoon of zest)
  • 1/3 - 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
  • 1 - 2 tablespoons hazelnut oil
  • Sea salt, chilli pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Place the radish leaves, ground hazelnuts, grated cheese, garlic, citrus skin/zest/juice and 1/3 cup of the grapeseed oil to start with in a blender or food processor.
  2. Blitz till smooth, scooping sides in/down in between pulses. Add more oil if required, though mixture liquifies easily.
  3. Remove from blender/processor and stir in the hazelnut oil.
  4. Season with salt and chilli pepper to taste and refrigerate for use in salads, soups, sarnies
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Kitchen Butterfly
I love food and I'm interested in making space for little-heard voices, as well as celebrating Nigerian cuisine in its entirety.

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4 Reviews

marsiamarsia
marsiamarsia September 14, 2017
Can't wait to try this recipe! As it happens, I have a bunch of radishes on hand and was asking myself if the greens could be used. By doing a recipe search here, voilà! I found your recipe. As I don't have any hazelnut oil (don't recall having even seen any hazelnut oil here), I thought I'd substitute avocado oil. I can't imagine it would spoil the pesto, but I'd love to hear Kitchen Butterfly's––or any FOOD52er's––opinion. Thanks so much!
 
drbabs
drbabs September 9, 2010
great recipe!
 
Oui, C.
Oui, C. September 9, 2010
This is a beautiful looking thing.....love the color, and the idea of fortifying the flavor of the hazelnuts with the hazelnut oil. - S
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen September 9, 2010
Lovely!