Green Sauce. Like Pesto, but In Canada, where basil is ...not

Today I'm going to try something different with y'all. I try to think about food from seeds in the ground to arrival on my plate, and what happens after. So here's a proposition---let's do this post in real time, with photos, and comments integrated in the recipe. I'm hungry and I want something pesto-y, and it's breakfast. So I'll make the pesto, and walk you through my other components. My goal here is to give you the benefit of my experiences with ingredients, so you can apply techniques and devise recipes of your own.

Because our backyard had been more or less unmaintained, we have a healthy dandelion and purslane population--both edible. This morning I harvested some young dandelion leaves, some handfuls of purslane, and trimmed the cilantro plants. I'm also adding some other greens (really, spinach or kale or whatever is fine). If you do gather plants, watch where you're picking them, as they'll take up whatever is in the air (and yes, that means exhaust, uck). 

If you're working with purchased herbs, you'll probably need at least a cup of greens (packed) to melt down, but I wouldn't worry too much about volume. You're going to add oil, and it's perfectly okay to combine this with other things. If you're adding it to pasta, save a little of the salty pasta cooking-water and add it to the pesto---it'll help distribute the sauce. This refrigerates well for a day or two, and should freeze well. 

I submerged my greens in cold water in a large bowl (This is not a step to cut corners on, just trust me), and salt can help clean them. 

Cat Lady Supervises

I stripped the leaves from the purslane and snipped the stem ends off the dandelion leaves. These can be bitter, and if that's not your thing, you can steam them briefly in the microwave with a little water, and that will more of less blanch them. I stick the cilantro (or other herb stems) in a little freezer bag (just label and date it) and they're great for adding to stocks. The excess bits I compost (we have city compost in Calgary), and we can talk about that soon, too. Being able to grow, prepare, and reduce waste from food processes are all ways we can take ownership over our own food supply, and that's agency.

Proportions are variable: You can make this with basil, or spinach, or cilantro, or parsley. It's ideal to taste little bits along the way, and change the quantity according to your preferences. Not only will you be able to improve your recipe to your taste, but it might add a little excitement or anticipation when you know it's going well. And it'll help you understand how flavors develop in concert with each other, and what the effects of heat and time are.

After everything is wipered to your satisfactions,  add some garlic. I smash mine with the flat side of the knife after I peel it. This helps to release the oils, and tends to have a less sharp flavor. Then I chop it "rustically" (in the words of a certain Queer Pirate Monarch). 

For this batch, I used two small cloves and one medium. I also tossed in a couple pinches of salt, and a couple squeezes of lemon juice. Drizzle a healthy amount of olive oil (or really, any fat relatively liquid at room temp), mash enthusiastically with a fork for a bit, and taste. Too bitter? Maybe add a little salt. Kinda boring? Add a little extra acid (lemon juice, lime, or vinegar). Too dry? You know what to do here. Proper pesto includes pine nuts, chopped finely, along with some hard cheese (like parm). I've used walnuts in a pinch.

I don't use a blender currently, but you can drop this mixture in there (take care with stems--they can wrap around the blades of your blender!). Even easier.

I had leftover biscuits, but you could do this on toast, or an English muffin, too. I spread some yogurt as a base, dolloped our green sauce on top, added a few slices of cucumber, and a fried egg. 

Bam, you just made a "green sauce." You can put this on pasta, in soup, on sandwiches, whatever. And made from what you have on  hand :)