Small Bowl of Beet Greens Pesto
(click to enlarge)

Beet Greens Pesto


California
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 1-1/2 cups
**
1 day
Yes		 A delicious pesto made of the greens from those bunches of fresh beets you bought. It can be used in any way Italian basil pesto is used, and it's way cheaper.




6
1
1/4
2
1
1/2
1/3
1/2
oz
cl
c
in
T
c
c
t
Beet Greens (1)
Garlic
Parmesan Cheese (2)  
Rosemary sprig
Lemon Juice
Almonds, raw
Olive Oil, ExtV
Salt

Yes, Italians do make pestos from greens other than basil (parsley, for instance), and do use nuts other than pine nuts (raw almonds, raw pistachios, etc.).

Make   -   (1 day - 20 min work)
  1. Float wash BEET TOPS same as with Spinach. Tear the green leaf part off the stems and heavy ribs. Crush GARLIC. Grate PARMESAN. Strip leaves from ROSEMARY, discarding the hard stem. Squeeze LEMON JUICE. Mix All Items in a food processor bowl.
  2. Run in the Food Processor with the sharp metal blade until you have the texture about as fine as it will get. If it seems a little too dry, cautiously add more Olive Oil.
  3. This pesto will keep a few days in the fridge. Freeze for longer storage
NOTES:

  1. Beet Greens:

      Weight is after removing stems and heavy ribs. Two bunches of medium size fresh beets yielded 6 ounces of greens after removing stems - your mileage may vary. The stems can be used for Marinated Beet Stems, a very fine salad.

  2. Cheese:

      Measure is grated fairly fine. Romano and other hard aged cheeses can also be used. Buy a fresh wedge, never pre-grated. You want the flavor of good cheese, not dry sawdust.

  3. California:

      This state has a very strong Italian heritage, to the point the Bank of America was originally the Bank of Italy, and Zucchini was first popularized in Los Angeles. We make no apologies for offering California dishes "in the Italian style".
  4. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
ygv_pstbeet1 130911 ajg   -   www.clovegarden.com
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