Nothing says “spring” like fresh gathered asparagus from the neighbor’s garden. We received almost five pounds, still warm from the sun. What do you do when you have massive amounts of this seasonal favorite! You make pesto and soup, which is exactly what we did.
We’re going to share our pesto recipe first and our soup recipe next week. Both are results from an all-day cooking event. We’ve made many versions of pesto using a variety of nuts and cheeses mixed with basil, spinach, or garlic scapes. This time, our goal was to feature asparagus and use ingredients that will enhance and compliment our star attraction. We decided that toasted almonds rather than pine nuts would be a perfect match. We also replaced lemon juice with lime juice for the acidic portion. We stayed with our traditional favorite of parmesan cheese yet this can be removed for a vegan alternative.
Our end result was fantastic. Very soon afterwards, like immediately from the blender, we topped toasted rustic bread with ricotta, followed with pesto and some black pepper. We had the perfect lunch. This spread will be great on chicken, eggs, mixed with cooked shrimp, topped on seared scallops and like any pesto, combined with cooked, warm pasta.
Store in the refrigerator for up to three days. Freeze any leftovers in small containers for future use.
A special thanks to Anna K. for her inspired thinking with this recipe.
Roasted asparagus makes a great base for a spring fresh pesto.
- 1 1/2 pounds asparagus
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 4 TBS almonds toasted and chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh basil torn
- 1 lime squeezed for its juice
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil used for roasting
- 1/4 cup or more extra virgin olive oil for thinning pesto
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Preheat oven to 385 degrees.
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If you prefer, cut off the asparagus tips and reserve for soup or a vegetable side dish. Cut asparagus stems into 2" pieces.
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Mix asparagus stems and cloves of garlic with 1 TBS of olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast in oven on pan sheet for 15 to 20 minutes. You need the asparagus to remain crisp, with a slight tenderness. If you roast until tender, you'll have mushy pesto. Allow to cool slightly.
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Finely chop or mince all ingredients (except grated parmesan cheese) in a blender or food processor. Blend until it reaches your desired consistency. Add 1/4 cup or less/more of olive oil to thin pesto to your liking while blending. We prefer our pesto finely chopped (see our photo). If using pesto to mix with hot pasta, you might desire a thinner consistency for easier blending and therefore will need more olive oil. A thicker pesto works better as a dip or spread like shown in our photo.
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Remove from your blender or food processor and add mixture to a bowl. Add Parmesan cheese. If needed, season with additional salt and pepper. Mix gently.