This year, we grew quite a lot of coriander which mostly ended up in South East Asian dishes. However, one of the tastiest meals that came out of the coriander was when it was combined with peanuts and sun dried tomatoes to make this nutty pesto sauce.
There are so many variations of pesto out there, but the ingredients are essentially herb, nuts, garlic and oil. The best part of this pesto sauce is that the coriander is freshly picked from the garden, and since there is minimal cooking involved, its perfect for those lazy summer evenings!
In this recipe, I am not using any cheese, however do feel free to add your favourite Italian Parmesan cheese, a large handful or two of Parmagiano Reggiano or Grana Padano would be terrific! Simply stir the cheese through the pesto sauce at the end.
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 cups of coriander stems and leaves
1/4 cup of raw peanuts
2 Sun dried Tomatoes
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive oil
Lime juice (optional)
Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Salt and pepper
Pasta (Fiorelli pasta)
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| Coriander from the garden, garlic cloves and roasted peanuts |
Method:
Add a little oil to a pan and roast the peanuts and whole garlic clove (in its skin) over a medium heat. The nuts will burn quickly so keep moving them around the pan. When they have turned slightly brown, remove them and the garlic (which should be slightly soft to press) from the heat.
Add the coriander, sun dried tomatoes, roasted garlic and peanuts with half of the extra virgin olive oil into a processor and whizz it up. Add the rest of the oil slowly and continue to whizz until it forms a pesto like consistency. If it feels a little dry, you can add a little lime juice or more oil. If using cheese, then stir through the pesto.
For the pasta:
Into a pot of boiling water, add the pasta, a little salt and olive oil and cook until al dente. Drain the pasta.
Finally, toss the pasta through the pesto sauce, topping with cheese if required. Season with salt and pepper.
Read also: Grow Crazy Coriander and add zest to your food
