At CSA365 we have had many different renditions on pesto. That’s because pesto is so versatile. You can use so many different combinations of greens, nuts, oils, and cheeses that it may seem overwhelming…but hopefully it just seems fun! If you are wondering about great combinations tested and adjusted then we have them here for you. Today I did a Cilantro Cashew Pesto with that beautiful cilantro from the share, it was amazing!
With cilantro you can create a bright flavor that pairs well with a fattier nut like a cashew, and a bold Romano cheese. Another bonus to pesto is that it doesn’t just go on pasta! In this recipe I combined the pesto with Springdell ground beef and a bed of rice. I guess my message here is to not limit yourself but to have some fun in the kitchen. You can almost never get a bad combo with pesto!
Ingredients:
- 1 bunch of fresh cilantro
- 2-3 cloves of fresh garlic, more if you like it!
- 1 Tablespoon of white wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup of Romano cheese
- 1/2 cup of cashews
- Salt to taste
- Drizzle of olive oil, until you reach your desired consistency
Procedure:
Peel your garlic and give it a rough chop. Add it to the bowl of your food processor.
Add the Romano cheese, I fine grated mine, but you can let the food processor do the work if you choose.
In go the cashews.
Add a full bunch of cilantro, stems and all. Just make sure it’s clean of any dirt etc.
Give this all a rough chop by pulsing the food processor. You don’t want to set it on a constant speed at this point, just a few pulses to combine.
Now turn the food processor on and stream in the olive oil. You will need to stop a few times and scrape the bowl down. Stop when the pesto has achieved your desired consistency.
That’s it! It is so easy and packs an amazing flavor! In the summertime I like to combine the cilantro with some basil too!
I added half of mine to some ground beef.
Placed it on a bed of rice, and my boys added the mozzarella!
Don’t forget!! Freeze that leftover pesto into an ice cube tray, you can pop a cube out and top a steak, or add it to a soup or stew. That’s where the rest of mine went, into my freezer for later! Enjoy.