After enjoying the Chestnut Spinach Pesto on Monday evening, I was once again craving pesto with vegetables and pasta. I seem to buy a bunch of cilantro every week when I'm grocery shopping, whether I have it planned for a dish or not. I love cilantro, the flavor is so bright, fresh and almost spicey. However, I know cilantro tends to be either loved, or hated. There's not much in between.
My husband falls closer to the hate side of the cilantro gap, so I'm always hesitant to make dishes where he can't pick it out. However, I find that cilantro pesto, though packed with cilantro, doesn't have the same flavor as a dish with copious amounts of minced cilantro. Maybe it's just in my head though?
For this pesto, I figured since I was going to throw cilantro in JJ's face, I'd at least use the Macadamias from Oh! Nuts to appease his Macadamia-loving self. This pesto was so delicious, so easy, and the perfect no-cook, no-heat sauce for summer!
Cilantro Macadamia Pesto
2 bunches of cilantro, about 2 c. packed
2 tbsp. Romano cheese
1/4 c. Macadamia nuts
2 small cloves of garlic or 1 large
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 tbsp. EVOO
Salt and pepper
Water, for thinning
Rinse off cilantro bunches and tear off the top leaves, some stems are ok.
Place in the food processor and let it run until cilantro is minced.
Add Romano, Macadamias, garlic, lemon juice, and EVOO.
Pulse to chop ingredients, then let it run for 10-20 seconds.
Taste and season with salt and pepper, add 2 tbsp. water.
Let it run again, add water if necessary to thin.
Taste again and season.
Serve.
2 comments:
Wow. I would never have thought of adding macadamia to pesto.
Plus I am liking the idea of chesnut spinach pesto, off to check it out on your blog - it its there.
I've made this combo before and it is GOOD! A word to the wise, though...it doesn't freeze well for some reason, unlike basil pestos. I can't tell if it's the cilantro or the macadamians...
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