Dandelion Pesto
1 large bunch dandelion greens
1 handful cilantro or mint leaves
½ cup olive oil (with an extra ¼ cup optional)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ lemon, juiced
pine nuts
parm (to taste)
INSTRUCTIONS
Wash the dandelion greens in a colander, removing any leaves or stems that are expired or wilted.
Place in a food processor with the herbs, olive oil, garlic, sea salt and lemon. Process until desired consistency is reached, adding additional olive oil if the mixture is too thick.
Use stirred into soups, eaten on plantain crackers, or mixed with stir-fried vegetables.
Alternate variation, 2 cups (above is 1/2 c)
Because dandelion leaves are tougher than basil, I use the food processor to make this version of pesto. A blender would work as well.This makes quite a bit and you can freeze whatever you don’t use, or cut the recipe in half. If you can’t get dandelion greens, I’ve linked to other kinds of pesto recipes below.
12 ounces (350g) washed and cleaned dandelion leaves
1 cup (250ml) olive oil
4 cloves garlic, peeled
6 tablespoons (40g) pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 1/2 ounces (70g) Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
1. Put about one-third of the dandelion greens in the food processor or blender with the olive oil and chop for a minute, scraping down the sides. Add the remaining dandelion greens in two batches, until they’re all finely chopped up.
2. Add the garlic cloves, pine nuts, salt, and Parmesan, and process until everything is a smooth puree.
3. Taste, and add more salt if necessary. If it’s too thick, you can thin it with more olive oil or water.
