Silverbeet pesto

[Weka]

So I have lots of silverbeet plants. I'm guessing about 30 or so. Not quite sure how that happened. But I found a rough recipe for silverbeet pesto today, so I've made tat tonight and wow is it yum. Can't wait to turn it into a meal.
Here's how I made it
A stockpot full of silverbeet minus the stalks, then wilt them
Put into a blender with
About half a lemon of lemon juice, thnk ma have used a whole one and then some. It was a generous squeeze from the lemon bottle.
2T olive oil
Salt and pepper (and lemon juice lol) to taste
20grms of Parmesan cheese (or 40ish for a nut free version)
Large handful of walnuts (which I couldn't use as we are a nut free household, so I just added more Parmesan cheese)

Then blend it all up.

Even got the thumbs up from he kids. So I've frozen it down into meal size.


We quite often buy a jar of pesto and mix it last into a chicken stir fry and cooked penne pasta (with extra cheese added). It's one of the kids favourites for dinner, so hopefully my pesto version is a similar hit.

[meriad]

I had to Google Silverbeet LOL . It sounds delicious and definitely something worth trying when it's in season as it's quite cheap. Interesting though that you use walnuts (well would if you weren't nut-free) vs pine nuts which I thought was the more typical to use in a pesto?

Friends used to make rocket pesto which was also quite yummy

[Workingman]

Pesto, any sort, is a good dip for a Euro style ploughman's lunch.

Try it on a baguette with loadsa butter, grilled herring or sardines or Toulouse sausage, ham, and various cheeses, plus some salad for the healthy kick.

[Weka]

Ok, I'm curious now, what do you all silverbeet? I know capsicum/pepper, courgette/zucchini, eggplant/aubergine

[Weka]

I think the receipe had walnuts to add an extra strong flavor into it.

We had it for dinner tonight and it was all eaten up! With not a single complaint!! Needs bit of salt and pepper though. It does need something else in it, it doesn't taste that cheesy even though there was lots in it. It needs a sharp flavor. Any suggestions for maybe a spice?

[meriad]

Silverbeet (from what I gathered) is chard over here; looks like spinach but different coloured stalks

[Workingman]

It needs a sharp flavor. Any suggestions for maybe a spice?

How about heating a clove or a cardamom (or both) in the oil and then leaving it to cool before removing them and using it as normal, or what about capers or maybe a few mint leaves?