PARSLEY walnut pesto with orzo
I’ll be honest - this was the first time in a long time I’ve actually enjoyed making pesto. And I think it’s because I swapped out basil for parsley.
Pesto is easy to make and hard to make well. Maybe that’s why I don’t like making it.
Anyway, recipe below and story about why pesto is NOT special to me later.
Ingredients
2 cups flat-leaf parsley leaves, packed
1/2 cup walnuts
½ cup grated Parmesan
1 small garlic clove, chopped
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
2–3 Tbsp cold water (start with 2, adjust for pourability)
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt to taste
Method (Immersion Blender-Friendly)
Add walnuts, garlic and a bit of oil to the bottom of your immersion blender container.
Add parsley, parmesan, then the rest of the oil and lemon juice on top.
Blend until smooth. Scrape down sides if needed.
Add cold water 1 tablespoon at a time, blending after each, until desired consistency.
Season with salt.
As I said, pesto isn’t my favorite to make. But I think it elevates anything it comes into contact with - hell, you can slather this stuff on a car bumper and it would be edible.
What I also like is that you can change it up - similar to hummus, it can go several different directions. Try this one, then try your own. Cheers.
