We all know pesto; One of Italy kitchen’s stars originally coming from the Ligurian cuisine with endless variations.
And here is an idea; Instead of serving it on pasta, try roasting some winter root vegetables dressed with freshly made pesto for an original and yet simple dish.
Serves 6
You will need
For the pesto:
240ml extra virgin olive oil
40g fresh basil leaves
½ teaspoon sea salt
20g pine nuts
20g walnuts
2 small garlic cloves
20g parmesan cheese, grated
20g pecorino cheese, grated
For the Vegetables:
1/2 Celeriac
1 Parsnips or parsley root
1-2 Carrots
1 small Sweet potato
1 Kohlrabi or turnip
1/2 a small pumpkin or squash
To prepare the pesto, put all ingredients in a food processor or a blender container and whiz to a smooth paste.
Wash, peel* and cut all vegetables to bite size chunks, making sure they are all more or less same size as you want them to cook evenly. Put them all in a steamer and steam till they are just about soft, but not mushy!
Transfer the cooked vegetable to a large bowl, add 3-4 generous spoons of pesto and some extra olive oil if you like, toss the vegetables so they are all well coated with the pesto.
Arrange the vegetables nicely in a shallow baking dish and bake in a preheated oven on high temperature (230°c) for 20-30 minutes till the vegetables are starting to brown and crisp at the top. You can serve the dish with some extra pesto in a separate small bowl for the diners to top up their vegetables if they like.
Tip 1: Sweet potatoes and squash- you can leave the skin on, just scrub well.
Tip 2: Any left pesto can be stored in the fridge, for few days in an air tight container covered with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent it from browning.
Dear Galit,
I am so inspired by your website. Nice to be with you in this way!!
Do you ever come to Yoga to Amsterdam? Would be so nice to see you.
Manny kisses,
Julija
Hi my dear, feel privilidged to inspire!
Yes, usually Friday morning is my practice day at live yoga but I was absent for few weeks. Will come back in the new year. Hope to see you. Happy holidays!