Parsley pesto is a simple condiment to make, very tasty, versatile, and fragrant. It perfectly suits pasta and rice, complements grilled meat and fish, boiled, raw or fried vegetables; or it can enrich the dishes of a savory buffet, and so on. Parsley pesto can be personalized according to your needs and tastes, adding tuna, nuts, or cheese to enrich it and, at the same time, soften its bitter note. The basic version of parsley pesto is completely gluten and lactose-free. Here is my basic recipe; I hope you like it
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 5
- Cooking methods: No cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 0.88 oz fresh parsley
- 0.53 oz pine nuts
- 1/2 tablespoon apple cider or white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- to taste fine salt
- 2 fillets canned anchovies
Tools
- 1 Immersion Blender
Steps
Place the mixer bowl and blades in the freezer for about 20 minutes to prevent the parsley from oxidizing; this way, the pesto will maintain a vibrant color.
Meanwhile, wash the parsley, remove the stems, and keep only the leaves, which we’ll gently dry with paper towels.
Take the mixer from the freezer and add the anchovies, pine nuts, vinegar into the bowl and start blending; finally, add the parsley leaves and oil, poured in slowly. Blend intermittently, for a few seconds, until a fluid mixture is obtained (if necessary, add another teaspoon of oil).
Taste and salt according to your preferences and needs.
As I mentioned above, I often personalize my pesto by eliminating the vinegar and replacing it with a tablespoon of pecorino cheese, which, in my opinion, pairs well with the parsley flavor. If we want to give our pesto a less strong, less marked taste, we can use parmesan instead of pecorino.
The extra idea. We can replace the pine nuts with 20g of unsalted pistachios, almonds, or walnuts.
Parsley pesto can also be prepared well in advance; in this case, store it in the fridge, in sterilized glass jars, sealed tightly.
If you desire a denser, more robust pesto (like the one seen on the canapes in the picture), just one tablespoon of oil will suffice, poured slowly until the desired consistency is reached.
For a vegetarian or vegan version, omit the anchovies in the preparation
