Green bean and basil pesto
grownandgathered
It’s the last of things. The intention of this post is to remind you that the summer crops are on their way out, so eat as many green beans, basil and tomatoes as you can. We wanted to have one last fling with summer ingredients, because we feel as though this season we blinked and we missed it.
**But if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, this should get you excited for the seasons to come.**
We are currently eating the last of the fresh tomatoes (this is literally the last of them). And watching our plants slow down, and the first summer plants start to die – this year it’s the tomatoes first. It is a little sad, grieving the summer garden, but there is something beautiful about it. A quietness we know is ahead for the winter.
So quite simply, enjoy summer while it lasts. You can also cheat a little, and preserve this recipe by freezing it. We freeze small jars of it and pull them out for “summer” meals in winter.
This pesto is super fresh and a has a little bit of natural sweetness from the beans. For the last few weeks we have just been having this with heirloom tomatoes as a simple salad - and it’s awesome. But it’s also great with fresh sourdough bread, eggs in the morning, new season potatoes, or tossed in pasta.
Field notes:
On growing basil
For super successful and bushy basil, “tip” it out. This means, pinch out those top few leaves from your basil bush (see basil picture above!).
The more you “tip it out”, the bushier it gets, and the longer it will grow for because if it flowers and sets seed, it will think it’s done its job, and give up pretty promptly.
If you are somewhere that doesn’t get frost, this will help your plants to keep growing that bit longer.
Makes approximately 2 cups/450g // Time: 10 minutes
Recipe
INGREDIENTS
200g green beans
1 1/2 cups sweet basil
1/3 cup almond meal
3 tablespoons lemon juice
big pinch ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon unrefined salt
1 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
To serve:
Sliced heirloom tomatoes, cut into quarters or chunks
A handful of torn basil
Method
Place green beans in a small saucepan and just cover with water. Add a big pinch of salt, cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 3 minutes, until tender.
Strain beans in a colander and rinse under tap water to cool.
Place beans and all remaining ingredients into a blender and pulse until combined. Careful not to over-blend, as you want it to be a thick and slightly chunky pesto.
To serve, toss through some fresh tomatoes and tear basil on top. Alternatively toss through pasta, other vegetables, or serve with fresh sourdough bread.
To store, pour into small jars, place the lids on and freeze. You can also fill ice-cube trays with the pesto, freeze, turn out, place in containers and return to the freezer. Stores for 9-12 months in the freezer.
