We’ve been receiving organic veg boxes from the fantastic Steepholding just outside Wellington for the last few weeks. I’m really enjoying the weekly surprise of which delicious seasonal vegetables will arrive and finding ways to work with them. This week I tried a watercress pesto to serve with our Gluten Free spaghetti. This is great pesto if you like a slight bitter kick to a sauce. Stefano wasn’t sure about it, although I was a fan. I’m on the look out for an additional magical ingredient to really complement the watercress flavour for the next batch, any suggestions?
Ingredients
Firstly, gather together all of the above. I was very relaxed about the quantities, but these are the approximate measurements I used for four servings:
1 bunch watercress
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of pine nuts
75ml olive oil
50g Grana Parmigiano
Sea salt and black pepper
Method
1. I roasted my clove of garlic for 10 minutes as I prefer the gentler taste of it cooked rather than raw. Our garlic was also in this week's veg box from Steepholding.
2. At the same time I toasted the pine nuts. These came from Italy and we had them leftover from making our Pinza cake after Christmas. I've seen recipes that use almonds or walnuts instead.
3. Pop both the garlic and the pine nuts into a food processor along with the watercress, cheese and oil and whizz to a perfect pesto consistency!
4. Season and stir through your choice of pasta. We chose our Le Veneziane Gluten- Free pasta. This pesto freezes well so we popped half of it into the freezer for next week.
