Presto pesto! Make your leftover chives disappear
Half the challenge of working in the Star’s test kitchen is making sure a chef’s recipe is accurate and easy to read for the home cook. The other half is figuring out what to do with the leftover ingredients so they doesn’t go to waste.
Often, I get a recipe that calls for chives, a mild member of the onion family often used in French cooking.
When not solely used as a garnish, a recipe will often only call for a teaspoon or two. Sold in relatively large amounts at the supermarket, that means there is a lot left over.
Solution: Make a chive pesto. Adapted from Bon Appétit (its pesto didn’t have parmesan, so I added it), this recipe is an easy way to use up excess chives. Toss it with chickpeas, pour it over roasted potatoes and carrots, spoon it over grilled chicken or steak, spread it on flatbread, use it as a dip for fries or mix it with pasta like I did for this ultra-fragrant weeknight dinner perfect for summer. Top the pasta with torn slices of prosciutto (my favourite summer protein as it doesn’t require firing up the stove) and diced red pepper for crunch and colour.
To measure a single serving of any long pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine, form an OK sign with your thumb and index finger.
That’s how much pasta should be going on to your plate.
Chive Pesto
Star Tested
1/2 cup (125 mL) coarsely chopped chives, packed 1 garlic clove 2 tbsp (30 mL) blanched, slivered almonds 2 tsp (10 mL) grated parmesan Salt and pepper, to taste 1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil, plus more to taste In a food processor or deep bowl with a hand blender, add chives, garlic, almonds, parmesan, salt and pepper. Slowly add olive oil in a steady stream and pulse until it is finely chopped, but not a completely smooth purée. Add more oil if pesto is too thick. Taste and adjust seasoning accordingly.
Makes 1/3 cup (80 mL) pesto.
For the pasta:
2 oz (57g) whole wheat linguine 1/2 cup (125 mL) diced red pepper 2 slices prosciutto, torn into small pieces 1/3 cup (80 mL) pesto
In a medium pot over medium-high heat, bring salted water to a boil.
Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and return to pot.
Toss pasta with red pepper, prosciutto and pesto. Serve immediately.
Makes 1 serving.
Test kitchen tips:
Freeze your pesto: Make extra pesto and freeze it in blocks in an ice cube tray (the smaller they are, the faster they melt in a pan). Take one out whenever you want a quick dinner but don’t want to resort to jarred pasta sauce.
Make pesto with other herbs: Try swapping in parsley or even cilantro in your next pesto. karonliu@thestar.ca