Do you love pesto? I do. But I think I've only ever had pretty standard pesto made from basil, olive oil, garlic, parmesan, pine nuts (occasionally walnuts but I avoid that because of Dave's allergies) - and I make a delish (if I say so myself) citrus pesto (click for that post) that we love on chicken and/or pasta. I recently saw this info on giadzy.com about making pesto out of lots of different ingredients and will be trying some of these suggestions - whodaknew? (Hi Candy!)
*Instead of the traditional basil - try substituting (or a combination of these):
parsley, mint, cilantro, mustard greens, arugula, watercress, spinach, kale, swiss chard, broccoli or broccoli rabe (blanched first), carrot tops, radish tops, beet tops.
*Instead of pine nuts - try walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, or any nut or seed butter.
*Instead of parmesan - try pecorino romano, grana pasant, gruyere, pave, asiago, manchego, ricotta salt...pretty much any hard-aged cheese. You can even go cheese-less and add more nuts, salt, a dash of soy sauce, or a spoon of miso.
*Instead of garlic - substitute green onion, a small shallot, or ramps. (no, I don't know what a ramp is - hold on, I'll google it...ok, it's a pungent wild onion, sometimes called a wild leek, tastes like a cross between garlic and onion).
*Instead of olive oil - try a neutral mild oil like grapeseed or canola, but it will be lacking a little flavor not using olive oil.
*Additional add-ons - lemon juice, vinegar, green olives, artichoke hearts, peas, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers.
info found at giadzy.com
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