'Tis the season for all things basil, no?
Nothing quite says summer to me as pesto sauce! Well... OK maybe except for iced tea, but what kind of a tea sommelier would I be, if I didn't included tea on the list?
While pesto is basically great smeared on anything, aside from maybe chocolate... hmm. I'm always looking for great ways to use it. Today I'm sharing two yummy recipes that we love. Roasted Garlic Basil Crustini and Turkey Pesto Tea Sandwiches.
Normally when I think of pesto sauce it involves a lot of pasta and some fresh bread. Or if I dive deep into my childhood memories there is this bagel from a fancy bagel shop smothered in pesto sauce and topped with some Parmesan and dried olives and tomatoes. YUM!
OK, ok... coming back to you now and leaving memory land.
In the dog daze of summer pesto is great to have on hand. Not only is basil more affordable this time of year but its pretty easy to grow by seed and have in the garden. Or even pick up a pot of it already started and continue to water and use as it grows. Trader Joe's usually has some fabulous organic ones or check out your local nursery.
If we are not growing ours I try to get it at the local health food store that buys it from a local farm. Its much fresher and usually more abundant than the ones that come in the tiny plastic clam shells.
First its time to make the pesto!
Dairy-free Farmhouse Pesto Sauce
Prep time: 15 min.
Main Ingredients
2 cups garden fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup cashews
3 cloves of garlic
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
sea salt and pepper to taste
Recipe Steps
- De-stem your basil leaves, tossing the stems in the compost for your farm animals.
- Add the de-stemmed basil, cashews, and garlic to a food processor. Process until a fine paste.
- While the food processor is on, slowly drizzle the 4 tablespoons of olive oil through the top until a thick sauce forms.
- Season with sea salt and pepper to taste.
First up the Turkey Pesto Sands! Pesto, it’s so bright and fresh, yet cheesy and nutty. It’s like the perfect savory sauce. These tasty tea sandwiches can be made with either leftover roast turkey or roasted chicken. This sandwich is sure to fill the belly and nourish along the way.
This recipe makes two sandwiches, perfect for that tea for two. Easily doubled, quadrupled or made for a crowd as well.
Pesto Turkey Tea Sandwiches
Prep time: 10 min. Servings: 2
Main Ingredients
4 slices bread of choice
1/4 cup pesto sauce
4 slices of tomato
2 - 4 black or green olives for garnish
4 - 6 slices roasted turkey or chicken
Recipe Steps
- Toast the bread slices lightly in a toaster or in the oven on broil at the lowest setting until golden brown. Let slices cool a bit until they are easily handled.
- On two of the slices of bread slather on about 1/8 cup of Pesto Sauce on each piece. Making sure to cover the whole slice evenly. Don’t make the sauce too thick or it will become messy and lose it’s dainty tea-time sandwich feeling.
- Place 2-3 slices of roasted turkey or chicken on the side with the Pesto Sauce.
- Next, add the slices of tomato. Then top with the second slice of bread on each of the sandwiches.
- Place a couple of olives or other garnish on a toothpick or garnishing stick and sink into the middle of the sandwich to help hold this rustic tea time sandwich together as well as give it a bit more tea time flare.
“Bread and water can so easily be made into toast and tea.” I’ve always loved this quote and it just captures the essence of how simple or how delicate tea time can be made. These little Roasted Garlic Pesto Crostinis' are either the perfect lunch or a delicate part of an appetizer tray.
Roasted Garlic Pesto Crustini
Prep time: 30 min. Cook time: 5 min.
Main Ingredients
1 loaf crusty sourdough bread or other baguette
1/2 recipe farmhouse pesto recipe
1/2 cup sweet cream butter
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon sea salt
Recipe Steps
- Roast garlic in a 400 oven for 30 minutes.
- Or take the short cut, it will taste very similar for half the time. Place 2 cups of water in an instant pot with a steam rack. Set the two garlic cloves on the rack and pressure cook on high for about 10 minutes, then quick release the steam.
- Remove baked/steamed garlic from cloves from their peels and mix in with Sweet Cream Butter and 1 teaspoon of sea salt. Set aside.
- Slice bread into appetizer size pieces and toast lightly in a convection oven or on very low heat in a regular oven. Don’t toast too much or these might be hard to eat, just toast enough to warm them and make them a very light brown color.
- Remove crustini from oven and let cool slightly.
- Slather garlic butter generously over each piece and then drizzle or drop spoonfuls of Farmhouse Pesto sauce over the tops and serve.
There you have it! TWO more ways to use up that tasty summer basil and get s a good dose of yummy pesto in your diet. What are your favorite ways to use pesto? Do you use any other greens other than basil to make yours?
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