Arugula Microgreen Pesto
What to do when you have more arugula microgreens than you can finish raw. Peppery, nutty, and better than basil pesto on anything involving meat.
Grown on Johns Island · Delivered from James Island · Across the Lowcountry
Why arugula works here
Arugula microgreens carry the pepper of the mature leaf without the bitterness that develops later, which makes them a better pesto green than grown arugula. This is also the answer to the practical problem of a living tray at the end of its window: blitz the lot, and it keeps for a week.
Ingredients
- •3 packed cups arugula microgreens
- •1/3 cup pecans or pine nuts
- •1/2 cup parmesan, finely grated
- •1 or 2 cloves garlic
- •1/2 cup good olive oil, plus more to seal
- •Juice of half a lemon
- •Salt to taste
Method
- Toast the nuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until they smell nutty. Let them cool completely – warm nuts will cook the greens in the processor and turn the pesto khaki.
- Pulse the nuts and garlic in a food processor to a coarse rubble.
- Add the arugula microgreens and the parmesan. Pulse in short bursts rather than running the motor, which heats the greens and dulls the colour.
- With the motor going, pour the olive oil in a slow stream until it comes together. Stop while there is still some texture – a pesto with nothing left to bite is a sauce.
- Add the lemon juice and salt, taste, and adjust. It should be peppery and bright, and salty enough to season whatever it lands on.
- Scrape into a jar and pour a thin layer of olive oil over the surface to keep the air off.
Notes from the farm
- Keeps a week in the fridge under a film of oil, and freezes well in an ice cube tray.
- Excellent on lamb, steak and roast potatoes – better than basil pesto for anything rich.
- Half arugula and half pea shoots makes a sweeter, milder version if the pepper is too much.
Questions
Why has my pesto gone dark?
Heat and air. Cool the nuts fully before blending, pulse in short bursts rather than running the motor, and seal the surface with oil. A little darkening is normal and does not affect the flavour.
How many trays does this take?
Roughly one full living tray of arugula gives you three packed cups, so one tray makes one batch. This is the best use for a tray that is reaching the end of its harvest window.
Cut clamshells from $6, or a living tray you cut yourself · 843.212.6932
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