Monday 14 July 2014

Rocket pesto

The best thing about growing your own food is of course eating it. This year I have been making a special effort to grow not just our favourites from years past but many things I have never tried growing before. I got given a packet of wild rocket seeds last year and sowed them on the 11th May. They are extremely easy to grow and really you just need to remember to keep watering them. So easy in fact I had so much I gave one tray away to my parents. Even wannabe gardeners living in the smallest space could fit a tray of rocket on their window sill. Once the leaves have grown keep cutting and the rocket will keeping growing back before it eventually starts to flower.

The natural accompaniment to pesto is probably pasta. We had this first with baked salmon fillets and then on some burgers – beats soggy salad leaves. Any leftovers you can freeze in ice cube trays and pop out when required. I love pine nuts in pesto but they are very expensive. Instead I opted for a packet of mixed chopped nuts. The price difference at Sainsbury's was £1.10 for a 200g bag of chopped mixed nuts compared to £2.75 for just a 100g bag of pine nuts. You can also use whichever Italian hard cheese you prefer.

Equipment: Hand blender or mixer

Ingredients

3oz (90g) Chopped mixed nuts
1oz (30g) Rocket leaves
2oz (60g) Italian hard cheese
1 tbsp (15ml) Lemon juice
¼ pint (150ml) Olive oil
Seasoning to taste

Method

1. Put all the ingredients into a bowl except for the olive oil and seasoning.
2. Start to blitz the ingredients together.
3. Keep blitzing and then start to pour the olive oil in until it has all been used.
4. Season to taste.


63 comments:

  1. I love pesto soooo much that I have probably eaten every possible green as a pesto. rocket pesto is currently one of my big ones with so much pesto around.

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    1. It's the first time I've tried rocket pesto but as you say it's green so it can be made into pesto!

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  2. I adore pesto but have never made it so I have bookmarked the page for the future ;) It looks delicious and so fresh looking.

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    1. It is really easy to make and you can't get fresher than homemade!

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  3. I love Rocket and have never made Pesto so I'm going to give this one a go, thanks for sharing xx

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    Replies
    1. You really get all the rocket flavours with this pesto.

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  4. Yum, I bet this is delicious! I love rocket and pesto, so must give this a try!

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    1. If you love rocket and pesto you can't go wrong with this recipe!

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  5. I would love to grow our own food. This looks so fresh and yummy x

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    Replies
    1. Salad leaves are the easiest way to start growing your food and they grow really quickly.

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  6. What a great way to use up all the extra greens we have in the garden at the moment

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    Replies
    1. We've got a glut of rocket at the moment so I keep having to think of another way of using it!

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  7. How fab, I have just won a vitamix and cannot wait to make smoothies!

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    1. How exciting - I've always wanted a Vitamix. Have fun making and creating.

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  8. I love pesto and I actually have a patch of wild rocket growing in the garden (a happy accident with a packet of seeds I am sure). This looks really yummy - thanks for linking to #CookBlogShare – check out the other entries on Pinteresthttp://www.pinterest.com/supergolden88/cookblogshare/
    and Google+
    https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/107696809290414888934

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    1. How strange that rocket should be growing in your garden. It is very easy to grow though.

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  9. Mmmmm pesto. Have just made some basil pesto too! Must try making it with rocket.... bet it's lovely and fiery!

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    Replies
    1. Basil pesto is my favourite and yes I have some growing in the greenhouse!

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  10. I love rocket and so can imagine it's really good in a pesto! I'm just watching Michel Roux Jr making pesto with brocolli! A great tip to use nuts instead of pinenuts - thank you for entering Credit Crunch Munch:-)

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    1. It's amazing what you can make pesto out of. I've never thought of using broccoli.

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  11. This sounds lovely - I think homemade pesto and other herby condiments are SO much nicer than anything shop bought.

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    Replies
    1. it's the freshness of the ingredients that make the difference.

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  12. I'm rubbish at growing anything (apart from my children). This looks fab!

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    Replies
    1. Salad leaves are much easier to grow than children and they don't answer back!

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  13. Mmmm, looks great. I'm not a huge fan of rocket but would like to try it this way.

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    Replies
    1. Add extra cheese and use less rocket or use a different salad leaf or herb.

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  14. I agree, it's wonderful to get to grow your food and then eat it! I will definitely try this pesto at home also!

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    Replies
    1. I hope you really like it when you get to make it.

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  15. Love love love....................My daughter is reading this over my shoulder and telling me that she is going to make some at the weekend. Yummy xxxx

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    Replies
    1. I hope your daughter keeps to her word and make sure she does the washing up as well!

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  16. Eating your own grown food is so rewarding. The recipe looks amazing

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    Replies
    1. I love getting inspired by what is growing in the garden.

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  17. I love rocket, I bet this is very tasty, I just purchased a blender with a smaller attachment so I can give things like this a try - now to persuade the kids to eat it!

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    1. My eight year old loves rocket pesto - especially when it is served with salmon!

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  18. It's so difficult to find decent pesto in the supermarket these days it just makes sense to make your own. And you're right - rocket (or arugula as they call it here in Canada) is the easiest thing on earth to grow - very satisfying.

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    1. I never realised rocket was called arugula in Canada. I shall add that to my transatlantic food dictionary!

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  19. Ive never tried pesto before but this looks so fresh, vibrant and refreshing I may have to give it a go! x

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    Replies
    1. You must try pesto! There are so many different varieties to try.

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  20. This looks delicious. I am a huge fan of pesto but have never made my own before. I will certainly give it a go

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    Replies
    1. It's really easy to make and you can adapt it to any salad leaf or herb that you like!

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  21. I have to be honest, I don't like veg and could not drink that ever! lol x

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    Replies
    1. It's full of goodness - plus cheese! You know you want some!

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  22. Looks delicious! The boys love pesto with their pasta so will have to give this recipe a try, thanks for sharing xx

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    Replies
    1. My daughter loves pesto and pasta too and it makes for a really quick meal.

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    2. Fantastic entry for Simple and in Season. Pine nuts have become really unaffordable so good tip to use different nuts with the peppery rocket.

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    3. I can't believe the price difference at the moment!

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  23. Oh my goodness, that looks amazing!! I love pesto and love rocket so have to make this!!

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    Replies
    1. This has to be a good combination for you then!

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  24. I spend a fortune on rocket. I must grow it now after your advice. We have a veggie patch in the garden I have done nothing with.
    Liska x

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    Replies
    1. Salad leaves are really easy to grow and they grow quickly too.

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  25. Pine nuts seem to be ridiculously expensive at the moment. Shame, as I love them in my green pesto too!

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    1. I could eat pin nuts in anything but not at the price they currently are!

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  26. I don't think I've ever tried pesto. I never realised it was so easy to make.

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    1. It really is just a case of whizzing up a few tasty ingredients.

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  27. I don't even think I have tried pesto!

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    1. I love pesto of all varieties. You must give it a try!

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  28. Perfect for drenching a bowl of pasta with it.Fresh and vibrant.

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    1. Pesto is great for turning a plain bowl of pasta into something very tasty.

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  29. This looks great! I can easily change this to include my own 'dairy free' cheese. I've not had pesto for years. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. I haven't been able to dairy-free cheese in my local shops. Only the stuff like cream cheese. I'd be interested to see how it would turn out in this recipe.

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  30. Replies
    1. I have to admit I have a weakness for pesto too!

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  31. Thanks for adding this rocket pesto to Credit Crunch Munch this month. It's something I make regularly myself so not to waste rocket that might not otherwise be eaten before it wilts.

    The round up is now published at http://maisoncupcake.com/24-thrifty-summer-recipe-ideas/ and next month's event is being hosted by Elizabeth's Kitchen Diary.

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I appreciate your comments. If you have any tips, tricks or tweaks please pass them on!