Cooking with local, fresh produce has been fun and has provided an opportunity to be adventurous in the kitchen…trying new recipes with vegetables that I never knew existed. We recently picked up our new CSA box from Oak Hill Farms…among the delicious produce was fava leaves. I have heard of fava beans of course…but never fava leaves. This leafy green is a heart shaped leaf that has a rich green color and earthy flavor that is similar to spinach. Not really sure what to do with this hearty leaf, I decided to use it to make a delicious pesto. The result was a flavorful and beautiful pesto that had tremendous texture.
This pesto was perfect for a quick dish that was fresh and fulfilling. I actually made the pesto the night before, and refrigerated it…then when I got home from a long day at work…all I had to do was boil pasta (I used orecchiette pasta), strain it, and add the pesto…a 10 min dish! Almost magical…hence..Presto!
- 3 cups Fava Leaves (any hearty leafy green will work, spinach/basil/arugula)
- 1 large garlic clove
- ⅓ cup whole raw almonds
- ⅓ cup olive oil (approximately)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like a little kick)
- ⅛ cup freshly grated Parmesan (approximately)
- Place fava leaves, garlic clove, almonds, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and grated parmesan in food processor.
- With processor running, begin to pour in olive oil. I did not measure exactly ⅓ cup, but instead looked for the desired consistency. The pesto should be thick and form a paste. I ran the food processor for only about 1 minute or less. I wanted to have the texture from the ground almonds, but continue mixing until the pesto is just the way you desire.
- Select your favorite pasta to serve with the pesto. Prepare pasta/strain. Once the pasta is strained, add it back to the sauce pan, add in the peso, gently folding it through the pasta until fully incorporated
- Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan topping it off.
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