Umami-packed pantry pesto

Umami-packed pantry pesto

This is everything a traditional pesto Genovese (basil pesto) is not. It’s robust, umami packed and rich. It packs a lot of punch for a little ‘pesto’. If I’m ever in the dire situation of no anchovies in the house, I’ll use miso paste as a substitute. It doesn’t hit in quite the same way, but it still does a great job.

Serves 2

  • Ingredients

    2 tbsp olive oil, plus ¼ cup 

    4 anchovy fillets

    2 garlic cloves, smashed

    ¼ cup walnuts

    2 tbsp tomato paste

    ½ tsp dried chilli

    1 lemon, zest and juice

    ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano

  • Method

    Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the anchovy, garlic and walnuts to a pan over a medium heat. Cook until the anchovies have melted, and the walnuts have browned. Add the tomato paste and stir. Cook for 2 minutes, until it turns a deep red. Remove the pan from the heat and add to a food processor (or mortar and pestle). Add the dried chilli, then blitz. Pour in the remaining ¼ cup of olive oil and blitz again. Stir in lemon zest and finish with the Parmigiano Reggiano.

     When ready to eat, toss the pesto with hot al dente pasta in a pan, along with a good splash of pasta cooking water (start with ¼ cup and work up from there) and a squeeze of lemon juice to taste. Forcefully stir it to bring it all together, adding more cooking water if you need. Serve with a extra shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.

From InBed Journal - for full images and article, visit InBed Journal