Okay, all right, I do realize that most of you won't be harvesting Moringa any time soon. However, (should be in caps) it was such a thrill making this pesto that I'm posting it anyway, especially since it turned out so darned good! The moringa itself has a lovely nutty flavor, just a hint of bitter, with the basil adding it's sharp herbal notes and citrus offsetting the unctuousness of toasted walnuts, Parmesan and olive oil.
YOU CAN ALSO make it with moringa powder. Add 1 Tablespoon of the powder to your pesto recipe, and increase the amount of basil and parsley if you wish. As shown on the Dr. Oz show apparently. I started a project some time ago, determined to find more ways of incorporating this very healthful plant into our diets. And, pesto is a great addition for sure. See above post link.
Moringa Basil Pesto
Ingredients
1 cup fresh basil, divided 1/3 cup toasted walnuts
2/3 cup finely grated parmesan
2 large cloves raw garlic, chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 cups fresh Moringa leaves
4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (adjust to desired consistency)
1/2 lemon or lime, juiced
Salt to taste
Place half the basil leaves along with the garlic cloves, cheese, and walnuts into a high speed blender. Blend continuously until finely chopped and evenly dispersed.
Add lemon juice, remaining basil, parsley leaves and the fresh Moringa leaves. Blend, scraping down sides of the blender jar intermittently until adequately chopped and incorporated.
Drizzle in oil while blending. Adjust to desired consistency. (Note: More oil will produce a thinner pesto that works well for sauces. Less oil will produce pesto better equipped for spreading.)
Spritz in extra lemon or lime juice as needed. Sprinkle in salt. Add/adjust ingredients (garlic, walnuts, cheese, lime, salt) to taste.
For our Valentine's Dinner we had Tagliatelle with Pesto Genovese and Tenderloin steaks. Blueberry Upside down Cake to follow.
We really enjoyed this mixture of pasta and potatoes with the pesto sauce. From a favorite cookbook of mine, Great Italian Cooking, edited by Michael Sonino.
Another useful moringa discovery was the trick of putting a good sized bunch of leaves into a big paper bag for drying. A few days in a sunny spot or in the oven with just a pilot light. Then you can easily pull out the bigger stems and keep your dried herb in a mason jar for tea. Especially good with ginger and lemon grass.
All will be shared over at Beth Fish Reads for her Weekend Cooking event. Check out some good suggestions, both for cooking and reading.
7 comments:
Your pesto photo is very appetizing! Looks like a great dish, and your Valentine dinner sounds super.
best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I've never seen Moringa growing. I've bought Moringa powder. Sounds interesting. Thanks for sharing,
E've never heard of Moringa before!
I've never tried moringa. I wonder if I could get the powder around here. Your dinner sounds yummy.
It’s always interesting to read about recipes/meals that are exotic to me. Ok, exotic may be too strong a description as you are in Hawaii.
Nice looking Valentines meal.
I believe most Natural Foods stores carry Moringa powder now. People add it to smoothies.
Moringa is a new herb for me! Sounds like a superfood I'll have to try. I love traditional pesto and pesto in all its variations!
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