Kelly Gibney's pesto recipes

Pesto

Pesto is such a delicious (and often overlooked) way to eat a whole lot of greens. There really is no limit to the delicious combinations of nuts and fresh herbs that can be enjoyed year round. The following are some my favourites but feel free to use these as inspiration for your own creations.

Simply place all the pesto ingredients into a food processor and blitz until the desired consistency. Be sure to season generously as this really helps the pesto to shine.

Kale & walnut pesto

Blanch the kale leaves for one minute in boiling water before plunging into icy-cold water to halt the cooking and help retain the bright colour. Squeeze tightly to remove as much water as possible. You can then add to the food processor with the other ingredients.

6 large kale leaves

½ cup (50g) walnuts

½ cup (60g) finely grated parmesan

½ small clove garlic – finely diced

Zest of 1 lemon

½ cup olive oil

Salt and cracked black pepper

 

Pistachio, mint & basil pesto (dairy-free)

½ cup (70g) pistachio nuts

½ cup (15g) fresh mint leaves – tightly packed

½ cup (15g) fresh basil leaves – tightly packed

½ small clove garlic – finely diced

½ cup olive oil

Salt and cracked black pepper

 

Parsley & cashew pesto

½ cup (70g) toasted cashew nuts

1 cup (25g) fresh parsley leaves – tightly packed

8 capers

Juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup olive oil

¼ cup finely grated parmesan

Salt and cracked black pepper

 

Spring Onion and Coriander Pesto (not pictured)

¾ cup fresh coriander leaves
1 spring onion (green part only), finely sliced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
½ cup olive oil
sea salt and cracked black pepper