Pesto is an Italian sauce made from basil, pine nuts, and olive oil. The classic recipe calls for them to be crushed in a mortar and pestle, but many now resort to using a blender. One of the unconventional recipes is pumpkin seed pesto. Despite the replacement of the main ingredients, it tastes no less interesting.
Ingredients:
- Pumpkin seeds – 250 g
- Garlic – 3 cloves
- Lemon juice – 3 tbsp
- Olive oil – 6 tbsp
- Dried basil – 1 tsp
- Parsley – for flavor
- Salt – 1/4 tsp
- Ground allspice – 1/2 tsp
Directions:
- Soak peeled pumpkin seeds in cold water overnight.
- Drain the water in the morning and place the seeds in a blender bowl. Add garlic and blend until smooth.
- Add lemon juice, olive oil, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth (about 2 minutes). If the sauce is too thick, add a little more lemon juice or oil. The finished sauce can be served with pasta or meat dishes.
- Pumpkin seed pesto is an appetizing, thick sauce with a beautiful green hue. In it, the sweet and buttery taste of the seeds is complemented by the spiciness of garlic, the sourness of lemon, salt, and aromatic spices. Use the finished sauce to make sandwiches, season pasta, and add to meat dishes. It is recommended to store pesto in the refrigerator in a jar with a tightly closed lid for no more than three days.