Parsley Pesto...very versatile

I came back from the markets the other day with bunches of fresh parsley wanting to make the classic Lebanese dish "tabouleh". A good look at the weather had me thinking otherwise. So after a change of plans I utilised the fresh parsley by making a gremolata for my lamb shanks. With the remainder of the bunch I decided to make a pesto. I had never ever thought about using parsley as a herb in pesto before. After a quick google search I found this recipe on the "Country Living" website. It sounded so fresh and I also had a whole heap of walnuts that were waiting to be used.

Let me start off by saying that I have never really had an opinion on parsley before. I always remember the "curly" variety being the star for garnishing a lot of dishes in the 70's....(yes I'm that old!). Then I discovered the "flat leaf" variety or "Italian" parsley as it was referred to. It was only until I got older and a lot more adept in the kitchen, that I truly discovered its many versatile uses. Tossed through pasta with a Napolitana sauce, used with lemon to flavour dish and of course tabouleh! It has a lot of health benefits and is very rich in anti oxidants and iron. Reading through Wikipedia I also discovered a lot of medicinal uses for it. You can see a lot more information here.

Anyway, back to the recipe at hand. This was by far one of the most tastiest pestos I have tossed through pasta in a long time. The lemon, provided the perfect zing and the toasted walnuts gave it an extra crunchiness that was just magical. Apart from being used in pasta I also smeared it on warm, freshly toasted pita bread as well. Highly addictive and dare I say delicious. So this is my entry for this week's Weekend Herb blogging event hosted by Laurie. This woman should be named Queen of the Herbs! She has so many delicious recipes and I always learn something when I read her very informative and delicious posts.

Double dipping anyone?

RECIPE FOR PARSLEY PESTO WITH WALNUTS

Again I varied the original recipe slightly. Not by much. I always encourage people to play around with their food!

• 1 cup of parsley leaves tightly packed or a big bunch with all the stems removed
• 1 cup of slightly toasted walnuts (shells removed of course!)
• 1/2 a cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• 1 clove of crushed garlic
• juice and zest of half a lemon
• 3/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients except for oil in a food processor or blender. Once the ingredients have been pulsed a few times proceed to add the olive oil in a thin stream. Scoop out the mixture and toss through some warm, freshly cooked egg noodle pasta. Or smear it lavishly over flat bread or pita.

Tags:recipes herbs

Chicken drumsticks with rosemary and lemon

The weather's gone haywire. Here we are midway through autumn and its gloriously warm with temperatures in the mid 20's. A few weeks ago I started to see brown and red leaves on the trees and today I see flowers in beautiful bloom! Anyway, I was in no mood for soups or stews so I decided to roast some chicken drumsticks. I could have done a "whole bird" but opted for those instead as I wanted a quick roast. Actually, if you're after a fantastic roast chicken recipe with great commentary head on over to "Gild the Vodoolily" and read Heather's post on the perfect roast chicken. Highly entertaining and delectably delicious!

I decided to roast the chicken "drummies" using rosemary, olive oil and cut lemon pieces. The flavour of rosemary is pungent and suits the chicken well. When the lemons roast in a hot oven they release all of their juice and create a lovely sauce combined with the olive oil. The final touch was to dot the drumsticks with some sun dried tomatoes approximately 15 mins before the they are due to come out of the oven. The sun dried tomatoes crisp up slightly and provide another element to the dish. I love picking up the drumsticks with my fingers and chewing through the perfectly cooked flesh and tasting the medley of flavours created by the oil, rosemary, lemons and tomatoes. Please note. This isn't a recipe as such. It's a "put together with whatever's on hand" type of meal. You could use other chicken parts, maybe substitute the rosemary for thyme or oregano. You could use some roasted capsicums instead of the tomatoes. You get the idea.

Packed with flavour

RECIPE FOR ROSEMARY CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS

• 4-5 chicken drumsticks
• 4-5 rosemary sprigs
• 1 whole lemon cut into 8ths
• a handful of sun dried tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 180 deg C
2. Arrange all ingredients, except the sun dried tomatoes (add these about 15 mins before the taking the chicken out)
3. Cook for about 45 mins...keep a check on this because every oven is different
4. Let these rest for about 5 mins
5. Serve with some freshly steamed asparagus and crusty bread to mop up all the juicy goodness.

Tags:recipes recipes chicken quick herbs