Work in Progress

Welcome to my first round of writer’s block since starting the blog.  I mean, I feel pretty silly that it has taken me this long to get back here, especially considering all of the cooking I have been doing this week.  There have been waffles (a little soft, so I’ll get back to you on these after I give it another go this weekend), pita, falafel, chickpea cakes (seriously, try these), and countless dressings to top salads made from gorgeous late spring produce.  Exhibit A: rainbow carrots.

I also made some pesto that I have been hesitant to write about since I am not sure it turned out exactly how I envisioned.  But, if we're being honest, most nights in the kitchen do not result in culinary masterpieces.  I try recipes, swapping ingredients as I see fit, and hope for the best.  And you know, I think there is something to be said for being honest with yourself (and others) in admitting that perfection isn’t always the goal.  If I wanted to eat something I knew I would love the first time around, I would need to stop tampering with recipes-- and that's not going to happen anytime soon.  This pesto was good, but I can think of a few ways I might change it next time.  Something to look forward to, right?

In the past few days, this pesto has made an appearance on pizza, salmon burgers, and falafel salad (for this I added a bit more lemon juice and a scoop of tahini, which turned out delicious).  Let me know if you try it and come up with any great variations!

Parsley Cilantro Pesto
adapted from Adrienneats

This pesto is not a creamy as I remember other pesto sauces being, but this may be due to the water content in parsley/cilantro versus basil (this is purely speculative).  You might consider adding water or more oil (just a little bit at a time) until you reach the desired consistency.  

2 cups flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
⅓ cup almonds
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp. white miso
juice of 1-2 lemons (start with one and add more to taste)
2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. olive oil (start with the 2 Tbsp and add more as needed)
salt and pepper to taste (do not add salt until you taste the pesto, as miso tends to be pretty salty on its own)

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth (this may take a minute or two).  Add more oil, lemon juice, and salt as needed.