• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Oui, Chef

Fare for the family table

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Links
  • Contact

Radish and Basil Pesto

June 6, 2011 By Steve Dunn 4 Comments

Radish and Basil Pesto-Blog 157

With summer just around the corner, our attention is drawn to fresh herbs, greens and veggies, and light quick preparations that highlight their goodness.  This little ditty is delicious as a sandwich spread, tossed with whole wheat pasta, as a crudité dip or bruschetta topping, or stirred into some smashed potatoes to make them pop.  Heck…serve a dollop along side a juicy grilled steak, piece of fish, or chicken to add a little blast of summer to your plate.

This recipe was inspired by a similar one I saw on Clotilde Dusolier's "Chocolate and Zucchini" sometime last year. Hers called for using just the radish greens, and she also used a more traditional hard Italian cheese such as parmesan or romano, typical of a straight basil pesto. I've added some basil for a little more complexity, marcona almonds for their sweetness, feta cheese for its tang, and finely diced radishes for a little extra spice and crunch. 

Do you have other fresh herbs laying around that need to be used?  Toss them in.  Want a little more heat?  Why not dice up a jalapeno.  Pesto is an incredibly versatile condiment, have some fun and make it your own!

Cheers – Steve

Radish and Basil Pesto

by: Steve Dunn
notes:  SERVES 4-6
yield:
Cooking ModePrint Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup packed, fresh radish greens, well washed and dried
  • 1 cup packed, fresh basil leaves, well washed and dried
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup marcona almonds, roughly chopped
  • 1/4 cup EVOO (or more to taste)
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese, finely grated using a micro-plane
  • 3 radishes, finely minced
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh chive
  • Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Place the chopped garlic and almonds in the bowl of a small food processor with a pinch of salt and a few grindings of pepper and pulse until finely minced.
  • Add the radish and basil leaves, and process while pouring the EVOO through the feed tube, stopping as needed to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Continue until you have incorporated all of the oil, and the pesto has achieved the consistency you desire. Add a little more oil here if you wish.
  • Pour the pesto into a medium sized bowl, and mix in the lemon juice, and grated cheese. Slice the 3 radishes on a benriner (or mandoline), and then finely mince each slice. Add the radishes to the mix along with the chive.
  • Test for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper or lemon juice as desired. Spoon into an air-tight container just big enough to hold all the pesto, pour a thin layer of EVOO to coat the top, and store in your fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Like Google +1 Retweet

Filed Under: Appetizers, Condiments + Sauces + Jams, Hors d'oeuvres Tagged With: Vegetables

« Roasted Cod Caprese
Nutella Banana Bread »
blog comments powered by Disqus

Primary Sidebar

About Me

About Me

I started Oui, Chef a few years back as a means to chronicle my efforts to teach my kids a few things about cooking, and how their food choices over time effect not only their own health, but that of our local food

Read More »

Archives

Categories

Oui Tweets

  • Just posted a photo @ America's Test Kitchen https://t.co/dovmpNnkYJ August 8, 2022 7:59 pm
  • Just posted a photo @ America's Test Kitchen https://t.co/hgz383lVzJ August 4, 2022 12:20 pm
  • Just posted a photo @ America's Test Kitchen https://t.co/xymUa71au9 August 2, 2022 9:53 pm
  • Just posted a photo @ America's Test Kitchen https://t.co/GEagGE5Cpp July 27, 2022 9:51 pm
my foodgawker gallery
No Kid Hungry

Footer

Copyright © 2022 · This work by Steven Dunn is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at ouichefnetwork.com/oui_chef.