Cilantro/ Corinder Pesto

Cilantro or green coriander leaves is one herb, which prominently features in normal day to day Indian cooking, be it a simple garnish on curries and salads or ubiquitous green chutney to go with any snack platter.

I am normally not too crazy about it, but this time when my friend sent a huge bunch fresh from her kitchen garden. Straight from the garden it was so aromatic and crisp that I did not want to waste a single leaf of it.

Some of my favourite dishes like curries, soups and tagine all go well with a generous sprinkling of fresh coriander. So some of it was chopped and frozen promptly to add to the curries and gravies for later use and still I had lots left.

I used that to make this cilantro pesto and it worked quite well, in fact my crazy teens and their father liked it so much more than usual basil pesto.It had a nice bite to it but the Parmesan cheese and walnuts were such a nice balance.

It provides your normal pasta, breads, and soups and dips an exotic touch and adds extra vitamins K, A and C to your meal. As much as I love my basil pesto, looking at the way it quickly vanished from the jar, I know this one is going to be our hot favourite this winters.

Cilantro/ Coriander Pesto Prep Time:10 minutes           Cooking Time: 2 Minutes           Makes: 1.5 cups of pesto Serving Suggestion: Adds a flavour to any pasta dish or just smear it on your bagal/bread. I used it to make swirl bread and it was delicious. Add this recipe to ZipList! _____________________________________________________ Ingredients ½ cup mint leaves 2 Cups fresh cilantro 1 oz. Parmesan cheese 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup walnuts 1/4 Tsp. salt Directions In a food processor drop all ingredients except olive oil and process it. Scrape the sides down and drizzle EVOO, pulse the machine till all the oil is well incorporated. Spoon it out in a jar and use as required. This stays good for a week in the refrigerator and freezes well in case you decide to make it in large quantities.