Swiss Chard and Walnut Pesto

Serves	12 servings
Prep time	5 minutes
Cook time	10 minutes
Total time	15 minutes
Allergy	Tree Nuts
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Appetizer, Condiment, Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack, Starter
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot
Occasion	Barbecue, Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentines day
Region	Italian
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A delectable and easy pesto sauce made with the "Veg Box" seasonal favourite, Swiss Chard! This pesto sauce makes great use of Swiss chard and is a great way to get the family to eat "hidden" greens and vegetables! Mix with freshly cooked pasta, use as a marinade or rub for meat, poultry and fish; also great as a pizza sauce.

Ingredients

25g butter
bunch of Swiss chard (about 250g to 300g)
3 to 4 cloves garlic (peeled)
50g walnuts (toasted)
100g freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or Grana Padano cheese)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and black pepper

Note

Directions

Step 1	Wash the chard thoroughly and trim the ends off the white stalks. Chop the chard roughly, separating the green leaves from the white stalks.
Step 2	Melt the butter in a large saucepan (with lid) and add the garlic and white chard stalks, then replace the lid and sweat over a medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes. After 5 to 6 minutes, add the (green) chard leaves and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes, until the chard leaves have wilted.
Step 3	Place the cooked chard(leaves and stalks), garlic, walnuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil into a blender, and pulse the ingredients until they are finely chopped and look like pesto sauce. Alternatively, pulse them all together with an immersion blender, until smooth.
Step 4	Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Store the pesto in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days and use with pasta, grilled meat and fish or as a pizza topping.
Step 5	NB: Can be frozen in individual portions of an ice cube tray, or in zip lock bags or old margarine containers.
Step 6	Can be frozen in small pots or in individual portions in a ice cube tray.