{"id":2178,"date":"2020-10-29T15:08:17","date_gmt":"2020-10-29T19:08:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.agooddish.com\/?p=2178"},"modified":"2020-11-15T19:07:00","modified_gmt":"2020-11-16T00:07:00","slug":"the-greenest-pesto-from-a-source-you-might-have-otherwise-thrown-away-fennel-fronds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.agooddish.com\/?p=2178","title":{"rendered":"The Greenest Pesto From A Source You Might Have Otherwise Thrown Away – Fennel Fronds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Fennel frond pesto on pasta<\/span>
Wood fired slip and iron painted plate by Bandana Pottery<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You can make pesto with almost any kind of leafy green or herb from arugula to cilantro to Swiss chard. Although the most common variety is basil, I have tried and liked pesto made with, in descending order, kale, broccoli, garlic scape, parsley and carrot tops. My new favorite – fennel frond –\u00a0 surprised me. Don\u2019t flinch like I did at first, thinking it would be too licorice-like. It isn\u2019t. I actually thought I wouldn\u2019t like it but I really do! This is a surprisingly tasty pesto and not at all fennel-ly, for those who don\u2019t like that anise flavor.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fresh fennel from Brix Bounty Farm<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Any<\/span> pesto<\/a> is an easy recipe. You blend garlic, some kind of nut, salt, greens or herbs and possibly lemon and then add in cheese (or for vegan pesto, miso or<\/span> nutritional yeast<\/a>). Then you stream in oil, usually olive, and there you have it. The whole process takes less than 30 minutes. A traditionalist will use a mortar and pestle but a food processor or blender works efficiently. Conventional basil pesto uses pine nuts, walnuts or almonds. Joshua McFadden’s (popular for good reason) kale pesto recipe<\/a>\u00a0calls for pistachio nuts. This fennel frond pesto specifies pumpkin seeds. You could certainly make this recipe with walnuts or pistachios if you prefer them. Adding Parmesan or Pecorino creates another layer of flavor but you don\u2019t need cheese; it can be both vegan and delicious with just a few spoonfuls of nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan for that umami flavor.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Trimmed and washed fennel fronds<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I usually buy<\/span> fennel<\/a> to add to a salad or to saut\u00e9. The fennel I got last week from a nearby farm<\/a>\u00a0was quite frilly and not trimmed the way you find supermarket specimens. There was so much greenery on these two bulbs that I couldn\u2019t bear to throw it away so I did an internet search for what to do with fennel fronds. Surprisingly, among suggestions for adding fronds to soups and salads and flavoring aquavit, there were many recipes for fennel frond pesto. My version below is a combination of several I found. You can substitute some other greens or parsley for some of the fronds if your fennel isn\u2019t as leafy as mine was. Don\u2019t be hesitant – all those fronds along with the lemon make a zesty and very green pesto which would be as good on fish or lamb or tofu as it is on pasta. And did I mention easy?<\/span><\/p>\n

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Fennel frond pesto on grilled salmon<\/span>
Wood fired plate by Bandana Pottery<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Fennel Frond Pesto<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

FENNEL FROND PESTO<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n