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
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.
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. |