Fiber Fool

Okay, many you asked for it, so I am sharing my recipe for Lemon Artichoke Pesto. It is a great recipe this time of year when the fresh ingredients of many pestos are unavailable. While I much prefer my traditional pesto and my chimichurri to be hand chopped, this one is much better in a food processor, making it a good lazy night option as there is little to chop.

Lemon Artichoke Pesto

yields ~1-3/4 C

• 1 - 14 oz can Quartered Artichoke Hearts
• Zest and Juice of One Lemon
• 1-2 Cloves Fresh Garlic, chopped
• 1-1 1/2 T Fresh Rosemary, chopped*
• 1/2 t Coarsely Ground Black Pepper, or to taste
• 1 1/2 t Salt, or to taste
• 1/4 - 1/3 C Toasted Sliced Almonds
• 1/4 - 1/3 C Olive Oil
• 2T Warm Water (optional)

Place all ingredients but the almonds and olive oil into a food processor. Pulse until mixture is coarsely chopped. Add toasted almonds and pulse some more. Pause to scrape down the sides as needed. Once the mixture seems mostly homogeneous, start with a 1/4 of olive oil and pour it slowly in the processor as it runs. Many food processors have a hole in the guide for the chute, if yours does just dispense the olive oil into that and it will do the rest. Let the processor run until the oil has been emulsified with the other ingredients. Take a taste test and adjust any of the seasonings and determine if it requires more liquid. It should be the consistency of a slightly loose hummus. If it needs thinned yet you can had more olive oil or for a little lighter pesto add a touch of warm water, again slowly while the processor runs.

I like this pesto fairly thick because we often use it as a condiment when serving antipasto. It is equally good on pita chips, bread, crackers, polenta, raw veggies and more. If you want it on pasta like traditional pesto I recommend adding a bit of the pasta water to the pesto just before tossing it with pasta. It is really good on angelhair pasta with a garnish of chopped kalamata olives!

I’d love to hear how you serve it!

* If you don’t have access to fresh rosemary (check the produce section of your grocery store, often near the bagged lettuces) you can substitute dried. If you plan to use dried rosemary cut the amount in half and plan to let the pesto sit at least a few hours before serving so the flavor can migrate and the dried bits of rosemary rehydrate.