As people might have noticed, I'm kind of a pesto freak. I love pesto. And this cranberry pesto really brought the house down. It has vivacious colors, intense flavors and works well in a lot of different dishes. I wish I could take complete credit for this masterpiece, but I adapted the recipe from Steamy Kitchen. There are some changes to mine, though. I don't use a food processor to make pesto since I like a more rustic consistency.
Equipment:
A rock-y knife (see Arugula Pesto post)
a cutting board (obvs)
Spoon
Bowl
Ingredients:
Parsley - finely chopped
Dried cranberries - finely chopped
Pomegranate seeds - left whole (optional, as they are extremely seasonal)
1 clove of fresh garlic - smashed and chopped finely (adjust as desired)
Chopped roasted pistachios (or pecans, which I used once when I couldn't find my pistachios)
Salt and pepper
Olive Oil
A LITTLE balsamic vinegar. A LITTLE bit.
Yeah...no cheese! Omg it's vegan. I accidentally made something vegan!
The proportions are: 1 part parsley, 1 part dried cranberries, 1/4 to 1/2 part pomegranate seeds, 1/4 part chopped nuts. Of course adjust this for flavor and your preferences. Mix in enough oil to get it to the consistency you want, and add a little touch of the vinegar. It's strong stuff and you don't want a lot. Pour it into a separate spoon if that helps.
I tossed this with some capellini and topped with Parmesan cheese. I imagine it would make a unique and striking bruscetta topping, and good over some grilled pork chops. Enjoy!
