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Recipe Detail Page
Woodland Pesto
Autumn 2016
This uniquely northern spin is an ode to our wilds. Luckily, many shops bring the bounty of the woods right to us. Sorrel and dandelion are both very bitter greens, that’s why we’ve roasted the garlic, making it sweet and softening that bitter bite. Ontario black walnuts (jewelsunderthekilt.com) have a fascinating, earthy funk about them, and the optional spruce tips (wildfoods.ca) add a love-it-or-hate-it piney note—that’s why it’s optional! Toss this with sautéed wild mushrooms, or use it as a wet rub for roasting game meats or lake fish.
Makes about 2½ cups (625 mL)
1 whole bulb garlic
½ cup plus 1 tsp (125 mL plus 5 mL) cold-pressed or best quality sunflower oil, divided
½ tsp (2 mL) plus pinch sea salt
4 cups (1 L) lightly packed fresh sorrel or dandelion greens
4 cups (1 L) lightly packed baby spinach
¼ cup (60 mL) preserved spruce tips (optional)
½ cup (125 mL) raw Ontario black walnuts
½ cup (125 mL) grated manchego, pecorino or other hard sheep’s milk cheese
1 Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
2 To roast the garlic, cut the top off a whole bulb of garlic, exposing the garlic cloves inside. Place the garlic into a covered garlic roaster or into a tiny, covered roasting dish or simply on a large piece of extra-thick tin foil. Drizzle the garlic with 1 tsp (5 mL) of the sunflower oil and the pinch of salt. Cover or wrap up tightly and roast for about 1 hour or until soft and brown. Set aside to cool.
3 Into the bowl of a food processor, add the greens and pulse to break down just enough to make room for the rest of the ingredients.
4 Add the rest of the ingredients: remaining oil and salt, walnuts, cheese and roasted garlic. To add the roasted garlic, simply squeeze the soft, almost mushy garlic out of its skin into the bowl of the food processor. Blend until fairly smooth.
STORAGE TIP
Pesto keeps very well in the refrigerator—up to a week—and freezes well too. This recipe makes a pretty big batch, so we suggest refrigerating some in a covered container and freezing the rest for another time.
Makes about 2½ cups (625 mL)
