Wild Violet Pesto
This season has been bountiful with violet leaves. Violets quickly climbed to the top of my food-foraging list. Violet leaves are packed with minerals and vitamins, especially A & C. They're easy to identify & harvest. Lil Miss was thrilled to help me when she saw that the leaves are heart-shaped.
And how can you not fall in love with this beautiful plant! As an extra treat, we topped ice cream with the flowers & made violet honey. As much as I love sweets, I also love a great pesto. This freezes well, which I tested out just to see, but it didn't stay there long.
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients
2 cups fresh violet leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup brazil nuts
1/2 - 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
Place violet leaves, garlic & nuts in food processor and blend until coarsely chopped. Add in 1/2 cup olive oil and blend until smooth. Scrape down sides with spatula as needed. If the pesto is on the dry side, slowly add in more olive oil until the desired consistency is reached. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
Enjoy on your favorite breads, crackers & crusts!
