Life is so busy these days that I can rarely carve out a moment to enjoy a little time with friends. But yesterday, I did just that. Out of the blue Laurie called: “Do you have a minute to walk Daisy with me?” she asked.
Daisy is her adorable and incredibly sweet pit bull. Five minutes into our walk however, big raindrops spotted the pavement and lightning flashed madly in the sky. We opted to walk back to her place and have some tea. It turned out to be a lovely visit. Rain poured like thick curtains for over an hour while Daisy was happily curled up at our feet.
But all good things come to an end and I finally dislodged myself from Laurie’s couch. On the way out I spotted a huge patch of mint across her driveway. “Can I have some of your mint?” I asked. “You can have it all!” she replied… and ran into the kitchen to get her sheers.
Mojitos came to mind, but since it was almost 8pm, I was more focused on dinner. Why not make my favorite pesto with this gorgeous mint?
I came up with this recipe a few years ago, when I’d had my own bumper-harvest of mint. It’s truly heavenly, and not as minty as you might think. Along with the mint, I add parsley, meaty walnuts, a bit of lemon zest to balance the flavors, garlic (a must), Parmesan and my favorite roasted walnut oil from La Tourangelle. All this makes a deliciously creamy and incredibly luxurious pesto.
Of course, I’ve served this pesto with pasta — that’s the obvious choice. But I’ve also paired it with goat cheese ravioli (sublime!), grilled vegetables, fried eggs, pizza… and even though I’m a veg, I can imagine it with pan-seared fish or grilled chicken kebabs. The possibilities seem endless.
I’m headed back to Laurie’s now to get more mint — I’m ready for my Mojitos!
Mint-Walnut Pesto
makes 1 3/4 cups
active time: 15 min
- 1 bunch fresh mint (2 oz) (57g) – leaves removed from stems
- 1 bunch Italian parsley (3 oz) (85g) – bottom/tough stems trimmed
- 2 large garlic cloves – skinned
- 1/2 cup walnut pieces (2 oz) (57g)
- 1/3 cup finely grated Reggiano or Grana Padano Parmesan
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon (2 teaspoons) – use microplane grater
- 1 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon vitamin C crystals (optional – see Cook’s note)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup roasted walnut oil
- Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process for about 2 minutes until it forms a creamy paste, scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice. Transfer to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic wrap is in direct contact with the sauce. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
- Cook’s note: This pesto is best used the day it’s made but can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. The vitamin C crystals are optional but they will delay the pesto from turning brown. They have no distinguishable flavor.
Disclaimer: As always, my point of view is my own. I do not accept samples, and have no commercial relationship with any product, food or wine company.
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I am glad you mentioned how the parsley mitigates the mint, b/c then I feel like I really want to try this.
Glad you will give this recipe a try – the parsley not only mellows out the mint, but also keeps the pesto green. Just like basil, mint has a tendency to brown when exposed to oxygen and heat. Thanks for your comment and let me know how you like it…
I’m tasting it all over again. You’re such a fine writer, V.
I am still dreaming about it . When I made basil pesto tonight , I thought about mint and went looking for your magic … your magic V.
Came here from Twitter and am glad that I did :) Love the pesto and the your blog!
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