Spinach and Walnut Pesto
Right now we are in that season when most of us are ready for sunny and warm days... but, we still have to wait a little longer. In Venice the temperature is slowly increasing and in my house we stopped using the heating about a month ago.
Cooking too is gradually becoming a less committing task and is mainly centered -at least in our household- around vegetables, baked, steamed and raw. So, I am preparing lots of different types of sauces and condiments to enrich our dishes and today I am sharing a very simple baby spinach pesto recipe, with walnuts, fresh garlic, lemon and e.v.o.oil.
This revisited pesto is ideal for dressing the first asparagus and seasonal greens, but also salads, broccoli, or even simply spread on a slice of toasted bread. Walnuts can easily be replaced with almonds, depending on your preferences :)
Not only it tastes delicious, but by combining an iron rich ingredient such as spinach with the vitamin c contained in lemons, which makes iron easy to absorb, it's great for those of you who follow a plant-based diet.
And...for those of you who instead like to enjoy a nice fish or meat fillet, well, it's just delicious!
I know I haven't been writing a lot in the last months, but life has kept me busy (all good things) and I will do my best to share more and more often in the coming months, both recipes and news from Venice, especially regarding all the amazing exhibitions about to begin.
Meanwhile, I wish you all the best and hope you are well :)
RECIPE
SPINACH AND WALNUT PESTO
Ingredients (for 1 small jar):
220 gr fresh spinach
50 gr crushed walnuts (or almonds)
1 small clove of fresh garlic
the juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup of e.v.o. oil
Method:
1) Wash the spinach well, drain and dry. Chop roughly and put into an iron bowl.
2) Crush about 50 gr of walnuts and add to the spinach bowl.
3) Remove skin from garlic, slice in half and remove the germ, then chop into small pieces, add to the bowl.
4) Finally add the lemon juice and the olive oil. Amalgamate with a spoon and then mix with a hand-blender until you obtain a nice and creamy sauce.
5) Put into a sterilsed jar, cover with more e.v.o. oil and refrigerate.
Use to dress salads, baked or steamed vegetables. Delicious also with meat/fish.
Use up in 1 or 2 days.