Radish pesto, maybe not the first thing on your list to make...BUT if you have been throwing away your radish leaves, you're missing out on a delicious, fresh pesto!
This one is quick and easy and using every part of the radish, that you may be wasting. It tastes great on chicken, pasta, fish, or potatoes. I also plan on using this for pizza!
For the amount of time and work we put into growing these beautiful suckers, why waste a part of it by throwing it in compost? Most do not know that these leaves are actually edible. They can be cooked like any other greens (I chopped some off and added it to our eggs), however, you will want young and tender leaves to do so. For the pesto, this does not matter as much as it will all be blended well.
Another fun fact about radish leaves - they are packed with antioxidants, vitamin C, and calcium (putting them up there with broccoli and kale). Who knew we were missing out all this time?
How to make Radish Greens Pesto
- Be sure to wash everything well after cutting leaves off. These veggies are a root vegetable, meaning they are usually closer to the ground and therefore have a bit of dirt on them. This doesn't take too long, just be sure they are clean.
- Leaves will wilt once removed from the radish, so do this with cool water.
- Shake off water and put in blender or food processor.
- This has all the ingredients of most basil pestos (except for the radish leaves, of course), I prefer mine with extra olive oil and parmesan, but it all is up to your taste preference.
- Radish greens are a bit more peppery, I used a less pungent nut - almonds (which I picked out from a trail mix bag). You can also macadamia, pistachios, sunflower seeds, or pine nuts.
- This recipe can also be used with Austrian Winter peas (another fresh, tasty green we are growing!), you can add a couple handful of peas instead of the leaves.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
2-3 cups of radish tops (or couple handful of Austrian Winter peas)
2-3 cloves of garlic (quartered)
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp nuts
Parmesan cheese, as desired (I eyeballed this and added more)
Salt/pepper as desired
Instructions
Mix all ingredients in blender or food processor until blended well.
Add more olive oil, as needed for a thicker texture.
Add to food and enjoy!
