If your chive plant is anything like mine, you need to hack it back so it doesn’t compete with the rest of the herb garden. Also, it’s going to be months before we have an abundance of basil, so here’s a yummy spring pesto!
1 large handful of chives
1 medium handful of parsley
1 small handful of oregano, mint, or other fresh herbs
4 cloves garlic
1/4 c. blanched almonds or pine nuts
1/4 c. olive oil
2 tsp. black pepper
2-3 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 c. grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Wash all herbs thoroughly and remove the thickest stems. Use kitchen scissors to cut them into manageable pieces.
Lightly toast the nuts in a dry pan. Remove the nuts and then lightly toast the whole garlic cloves to remove some of their pungency.
When the nuts are cool, add them to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the herbs a small handful at a time until well chopped. Add the black pepper and salt and pulse. With the food processor running, drizzle in the olive oil until the mixture is bright green and well combined. Add the cheese and pulse a few times. Taste the pesto and adjust the seasonings and oil as needed, but take care not to over-chop (which can cause the cheese to melt).
Place the finished pesto in small containers with a layer of oil on top to prevent browning. Can also be placed in ice cubes and frozen (place frozen cubes in a baggie) for individual use.
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| I don’t know why this is rotated 90 degrees CW |
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| Chive pesto on gnocchi with Italian sausage and radish microgreens (aka thinning the seedlings) |
Delicious tossed on cooked pasta, Gnocchi, potatoes in Pesto and Sausage Desperation Deliciousness, stirred into Minestrone, on salads, or (my favorite) as a spread for fried egg sandwiches.