Cilantro Pesto
52 weeks of cooking – Fresh Herbs
If you haven’t noticed cilantro is my favorite herb, I love the floral notes and brightness it has in comparison to parsley. It can be used in almost any dish but it’s more prevalent in Latin and Asian cuisines, which happen to be the two cuisines I cook the most. This cilantro pesto comes together quickly, just a matter of getting the ingredients in the food processor and pulsing a few times. The pesto is best the day you make it, but it should be allowed to sit for at least 30 minutes before service so it has a chance for all the flavors to meld together. I served my cilantro pesto with a breakfast quesadillas stuffed with scrambled eggs, pinto beans, tomatoes and green onions. I bet it would be great on a Mexican inspired hamburger as well.
Cilantro Pesto
- Yield: about 11/2 cups
- Category: Side Dishes
Ingredients
- 1 jalapeno, deseeded
- 3 green onions
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/2 c pepitas, toasted
- 2 c cilantro, leaves and stems
- 1/3 c olive oil
- 1 lime, juiced
- ½ tsp. salt
Directions
- Roughly chop the jalapeno and green onions, place into the bowl of a food processor along with the garlic.
- Pulse a few times until there are no large chunks, scrape down the sides of the bow.
- Add the toasted pepitas, pulse again until the pepitas are about half their original size and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients and pulse until the pesto has reached your desired texture, I don’t like mine too fine.
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until needed.
I make a variation of this. I love it!