yeah, you gotta put half away in the freezer lest you start at the stuff with a spoon…

think i love it even more than the parmesan version. hey, i watched janella purcell make pesto on the telly a few months ago using sunflower seeds which i thought was a case of good thinking. pepitas…great.

I’m always a bit “meh” about sunflower seeds, whereas I love pepitas. But reckon if Janella thinks they’re good in a pesto, then they probably are.

And this stuff is ridiculously good oozing out of an omelette . . .

During the cooler months I make mixed herb pesto sometimes with no basil at all.

This sounds wonderful, I’m making it tonight for dinner. I love the idea of pepitas because I have had the occasional bout of “pine mouth” which is extremely unpleasant and has put me off pine nuts a bit. It’s also wonderful to make pesto with asparagus.

Hello Kathryn, I was just talking to my girls about the five vegetable serves (as we were having dinner) and so googled what they look like and was taken to your site. We are now chasing our dinner with a raw carrot after seeing your plates of veggies. This pesto really appeals to me – the basil here at the markets is looking great and I love the Japanese twist of the miso. I am happy that iku still exists – I am taken right back to Glebe Point Road in the late 80s. Warm regards Linda

Tracy, how lovely. I do think “pesto” is a very flexible recipe. I’ve had it with rocket and coriander before, which is lovely. Although i also made broccoli pesto once and that was a bit foul.

Kelly, I was only reading about pine mouth a couple of weeks ago, had never heard of it before. Can imagine it’s very unpleasant. Pesto with asparagus intrigues me, I’m assuming you cook the asparagus first? Just lightly?

Oh, brilliant! I love the idea as well since I am not a fan of parmesan…

What an awesome idea! My vegan mum will love this recipe :)

What a lovely idea Kathryn – I always balk a bit a the amount of fat in traditional pesto with the oil and cheese. Have heard you mention your miso experimentation on twitter so its nice to see the results. I must admit to being a bit of a miso ignoramous – would the normal brown stuff I have in the fridge work as well? I guess it definitely wouldn’t look as nice.

I can recommend parsley and walnut pesto (a bit more of a cold climate take on the basil version). Have made coriander pesto too but in a more asian style, with added ginger and chilli

Hi Kathryn, I just saw a link to your dairy-free pesto recipe on ’Where’s the beef?’ and just thought I’d share a very similar recipe, which I posted at the end of March – how freaky is that?! Nice to know there’s someone else out there with the same mindset – I’m always looking for blogs with the same philosophy as mine :) Here’s my post if you’d like to check it out: http://themindfulfoodie.com/2011/03/29/cooking-basics-making-pesto-dairy-free/

Lesh
AKA: The mindful foodie :)

This sounds fabulous, Kathryn, and I appreciate all your suggestions on what to add this pesto to. Mmmm, potatoes. I say “meh” to being a purist about anything.

I’m dreaming of warmer, basil-like weather. We had a bit of snow today!

Sophie’s modifications appeal to me, too. Now I wish I’d sown parsley last month.

Thanks Anh and Christine – let me know if you try it out.

Sophie – the normal brown miso in your fridge would probably work, but I’d start gently with it. Maybe start with half the amount of miso, ie 2 teaspoons (remembering our Aust tablespoons are the equiv of 4 teaspoons) and check the flavour. The trick is to get the richness of flavour, without it actually tasting of miso. The white miso has a softer, gentler flavour, so it’s a slightly more forgiving ingredient. And I love your other suggestions, particularly the more Asian-style version.

Thank you Elaine. I hope your basil sprouts very soon and you can get some of those delicious summery flavours happening in your kitchen.

I’ve got lots of miso questions for you:
Do you get the miso as a paste from the fridge section? Do you go to an asian supermarket for it? Do you think it matters much which brand you choose?

Arwen, I’m not a miso afficionado, in fact it’s something that I’m really feeling my way with at the moment. But I’ll try to answer your questions . . . I do buy miso as a paste, from the fridge section of my local Foodworks. I also sometimes go to a Japanese grocer in Campsie, where there’s more choice. For example, if I wanted to buy white miso I’d have to go to a Japanese grocer as not many local shops stock it.

Yes I suspect it does matter which brand you buy, as they taste different and also seem to have different levels of paste-ness (!) As in some are more smooth than others. But at the moment I’m still testing and trying, so don’t actually have a brand recommendation for you.

I found some white miso in our local supermarket but haven’t taken the plunge and bought it yet. It’s called sweet white miso which didn’t sound quite right (thought the ingredients didn’t mention any sugar or similar in there).

I might do as you suggest and try this out with just a little brown miso

great recipe, wouldnt have thought of using pepitas. I’m going to give it a go.

Yes, for asparagus pesto, you cook it until it’s just tender. I think I might try it this year with roasted asparagus it might add a different flavour dimension. This pesto was delicious. I put a spoonful of it in my vegetable soup at lunch time for a little pistou.

Linda, Iku does still exist and it’s still just as gorgeous as ever. I meet some friends for lunch there, every now and then. So glad to hear you found the veggie post useful and I love that you’re having a carrot chaser to dinner.

Excellent Kelly, thank you so much for the asparagus idea. I reckon roasted asparagus would be brilliant – would give a sweeter, more intense flavour. I’ll have to wait until next Spring (which seems ages away) before trying that out though.

And so glad to read that you liked the pesto. I spoonful in vegie soup is a grand idea.

Because we have the mint that ate Paris in the garden I’ve been making mint pesto with pecans, garlic, olive oil and a splash of balsamic. The moisture from the balsamic means you don’t have to use as much oil and the flavour is something akin to the mint sauce Mum used to make to have with roast lamb. It’s great in a salad or on bread.

This is such a great recipe! I cannot eat dairy and you would never miss the parmesan in this recipe. It is delicious!

Carolyn, thank you so much for your comment. It’s lovely to know that you’ve made it and enjoyed.