Chive Pesto

It is finally starting to feel like summer in the city and that pretty much means that I am craving lighter and brighter foods!

Our garden this spring gave us a large amount of chives from last year that we didn’t know what to do with it all. I decided to embed them in a few dishes in our family weeknight dinners and they were a hit!

Did you know chives actually belong to the onion family? Although we classify them as an herb it does explain the mild onion taste when you eat them. They are a great garnish and addition to so many dishes! If you’re thinking of growing your own herb garden, chives are one of those herbs that keep growing back every year and can also sustain harsh cold temperatures (-35 degrees celsius!).

Chives are quite delicate, like many herbs and one of the best ways to cut it is using a pair of kitchen scissors rather than chopping back and forth with a knife. That way you don’t bruise the herb and it stays fresh longer.

Anyways, back to my dish. I had bought a pack of lentil flour pasta. I had never bought it before and was intrigued to try it. It actually tasted pretty good! It was pretty similar to rice pasta consistency, however, I highly recommend cooking the pasta less than the recommended time. I found they were getting mushy well before the desired 8-10 minutes so I took them out at about 5 minutes.

PASTA TIP: When cooking rice or vegetable based pasta ALWAYS rinse it after it is cooked with cold water. It gets rid of the starchiness so they don’t clump and get even mushier. I don’t recommend that for wheat pasta, it’s not necessary.

I decided to make a pesto sauce using the chives. Now because they already have an onion/garlic taste I decided not to add garlic to this dish. I took a handful of chives, cut them into smaller pieces. I then took a handful of parsley (basil would work just as well, but that’s what I had in my kitchen) and added salt, pepper and olive oil with a touch of lemon juice et voila, my pesto was done! I like to add lemon juice as it keeps it from turning dark, I don’t add too much because then the pesto becomes too sour. If it gets to that point, sometimes I add a touch of sugar to balance it out.

If the pesto is made fresh, I typically add it right into the cooked pasta in my serving dish, no need to have it simmer over the stove.  Add some fresh parmesan cheese and Bob’s your uncle! Or Joe, or Frank, ah you know what I mean!

Chive Pesto

Ingredients:

• A handful of chives (cut into small pieces)
• A handful of parsely
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• a splash of lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• a touch of pepper

Directions:

1. In a food processor, combine all the ingredients until a smooth consistency.
2. Add a little extra olive oil if the mixture is too dry.
3. Once your pasta is ready, combine the pesto and the pasta in your serving bowl and enjoy!
4. If you are making it ahead, place it in an air tight container and in the fridge (I would use it in the next few days) OR make small portions and freeze them for a later date.

Enjoy!

Antonietta xo