Wednesday 22 September 2021

Nose Twister Pesto...



Proof perfect that our garden truly is organic, has been the plague of tiny green and black flies, and the twig like catterpillars on the nut tree this summer. Amazingly the edible Nasturtium and Pansy flowers, as well as the herb blossoms have flourished. They have made perfect additions to early September, late Summer salads and risottos. Nasturtium, has to be may favourite pesto to-date. It's amazingly light, yet it's also the most flavourful that I've ever tasted, as the leaves have a peppery but subtle heat. 

I love it...And did you know that you can pickle the seed heads in brine and apparently they taste even better than capers. Their name literally means 'nose twister' or 'tweaker' a nod to the reaction the peppery flavour can induce. I had a go at that too, but will leave them to preserve a little while longer before tasting.

The humble Nose Twister is such a useful addition to your garden. I will definitely be sowing them again next year... 

debx


Recipes:

Nasturtuium/Nose Twister Pesto (vegan/vegetarian)

Ingredients:

Half a cup of Nasturtium leaves (about 15)

A few Nasturtium flowers, about six

A crushed garlic clove

A handful of raw nuts, (about an eighth of a cup). I used a mix of Walnuts, cashews and pecans. Pine nuts would also work. 

Olive oil,to taste and get the correct texture.

Nurtitional yeast

A squeeze of lemon juice (about a teaspoon).

Seasalt

Method:

1. Simply blend all the dry ingredients together apart from the flower heads. 

2. Add the lemon juice and seasoning, mixing well. Adjusting as necessary. Reserve enough flowerheads to decorate but add the others and do short pulses to add a little texture and colour. Adding a little filtered tap water if necessary to get the texture that you're happy with. 

3. Put into dish and top with the flowers plus a little trickle of olive oil. 

This is delicious served with pasta,in buddha bowls, or topping crunchy sourdough toast. Yum...




                

2 comments:

  1. So surprised to see you pop up today! Your garden is looking very productive- enjoy and look forward to seeing you again soon 🙏

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    Replies
    1. Hi there. It's good to hear from you. Thank you. It's ages since I last wrote anything over here. I thought that I'd give it another go. Have a lovely week. debx

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