Name: Cilantro Pesto
Yield: Makes about 1 cup
Cuisine: Mexico
Ingredients: ⅓ cup toasted pepita seeds (see Note); 1 tablespoon chopped poached or roasted garlic; 3 cups packed fresh cilantro leaves; Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste; ⅓ cup crumbled Mexican cheese such as Queso Fresco or Queso Anejo; ½ teaspoon minced jalapeño chile, or to taste; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh tomatillos (optional but very desirable); ¼ cup olive oil; 2 to 3 tablespoons or so homemade vegetable or chicken stock or your favorite canned broth

Preparation info

Makes about
1 cup

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Cooking One on One

By John Ash

Published 2004

About

This pesto uses ingredients from the Mexican larder. I’ve cut back on the oil and substituted a little stock to reduce the fat and make the mixture easier to puree.

Ingredients

3 cups packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon chopped poached or roasted garlic
⅓

Method

Drop the Cilantro into a pot of boiling water for 5 to 10 seconds. Immediately drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and set the color. Drain well, pat dry, and chop coarsely. Transfer to a food processor or blender and add the garlic, pepitas, cheese, chile, tomatillos, and olive oil. Process in short bursts until combined but not completely smooth. Add the stock a bit

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Cilantro Pesto

Ingredients

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