Nasturtium Leaf Pesto

nasturtium flower pesto

Chicago artist and permaculturalist Nancy Klehm gave me this idea. Funny how it takes an out of town visitor to make you aware of a resource at your own home–right now our yard is choked with nasturtium and I’ve never made good use of the leaves. I have used the flowers for a pesto, but it’s kinda labor intensive. Nancy made a pesto with the leaves and I had to try my own version:

Nasturtium leaf pesto

2 fistfuls of nasturtium leaves
1 fistful of nuts–pistachios preferred but any will do
a half fistful of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
olive oil
salt
pepper

Roast nuts in a pan. Let them cool and add to a food processor with the nasturtium leaves, cheese, salt and pepper. Add olive oil as you pulse the processor. Process until smooth. Add to your favorite pasta or use as a dip. Garnish with a nasturtium flower.

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9 Comments

  1. Run…..don’t walk from Pesto recipes that call for “fistfulls” as opposed to exact gram measurements.

    Shame on you Mr. Homegrown. Shame.

    El Zapf

  2. Ah, what a difference living just a few climate zones away can make. Nasturtiums in February? Lucky! I’m scraping ice off the patio table today and those summer lovelies are a long ways away. Sigh.

  3. Definitely sounds yummy…though I’ll have to wait several months to pull fistfuls out of the garden 😉 How wonderful, though, to have Nasturtiums in February!

  4. I love it! Nastertiums are one of my favorites to plant in hanging baskets because they almost always do well & I can save the seeds for next season (or even try to grow them indoors in the winter as houseplants). I’ve used the leaves occasionally in salads when my greens have been low, but haven’t used the plant extensively for food.

    This recipe will be a GREAT addition to our meals! Thank you! 🙂

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