When you have leftover fresh herbs and/or greens, you just have to make pesto. Or, at least I do. Over the years, I've turned plenty of different greens and herbs into pestos, and have loved every single one of them. So, when I found myself with a handful of sage leaves leftover from my butternut squash lasagna, I decided to improvise.
Leftover Sage Pesto
Yields: about 1/2 cup
-1/2 cup loosely packed sage leaves
-1/2 tbsp. dried parsley
-1/8 cup chopped walnuts
-1/8 cup Parmesan cheese
-Olive oil
-Lemon juice, to taste
-Salt and black pepper, to taste
-Pinch of cayenne pepper
Directions:
1.) Add sage leaves, parsley, walnuts, and Parmesan cheese to a food processor. Add a little bit of olive oil, and pulse. Keep adding olive oil until you reach desired consistency (smooth, but not too oily).
2.) Add lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne; pulse ingredients again, and taste. Add more lemon juice and spices as needed.
Sage leaves can be rather bitter on their own - and are typically not meant to be consumed raw because of it - but the parsley helped to offset the bitterness. The end result was a slightly bitter, brightly-flavored pesto that went perfectly on a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich.
How have you incorporated holiday leftovers into new meals?
I almost always make pesto with leftover greens too! We had roasted pork loin for Christmas and we used leftover pork to make a filling for pork burritos. I love making meals out of leftovers!
ReplyDeleteSuch a great idea for leftover herbs. And now I really want that sandwich!
ReplyDeletegreat idea, I should to this more often. Admittedly, the greens usually end up wilted before I have a chance. (Lazy!)
ReplyDeleteHaha Megan - I used the rest of the pesto in that same sandwich for lunch today. So good!
ReplyDelete