Tasty Lemon Rocket Pesto

Bored with basil Pesto? Rocket is in season and cheap? Cooking Fish or Baked Vegies that need a lashing of something? Try this....

Rocket is one of the most under rated and under utilized herbs out there. It's like the salad ingredient that the foodie scene had a huge love affair with a while ago... then it faded back to just another ingredient to be used sometimes every now and then. How do I know this? Check out your local supermarket - there will be 8000 heads of Iceberg(good but come on..!.) and Cos(good for Caesar salad and...um...?), and only half a dozen bunches of Rocket. For a herb that grows like a weed, it amazes me that we are not flooded with the stuff. Now that would be heaven.

It makes a great salad leaf, adds a pepper overtone(the mature large kind) in cooking, is a replacement for wilted spinach in a pinch, and makes as good a Pesto that Basil does....

I have been making Pesto of all varieties for about 15 years now, always in a food processor, and occasionally in a Mortar and Pestle when attempting an authentic dish.... my number 1 frustration with final result - the paste produced by these methods won't always go with dishes which need you to distinguish the flavors in the Pesto rather than the Pesto paste itself... e.g. Fish, Baked Veggies etc.. This recipe solves that by chopping the essential ingredients - not blending. Its a loose Pesto - and when you serve it on food - you'll see and taste why it's so great.

Cooking time:

I can knock this up in about 15 mins.... but perhaps give 20 or 25 mins based on how fast you chop.

Big Hints for a winning result:

The Almonds:

Frustrated with the price of Pine Nuts - I turned to Almonds for this, and since have not looked back. Use a Mortar and Pestle for the Almonds... if you dont have that get some Almonds wrapped up in kitchen paper or Tea-Towel, and smash em up with a fry pan. You don't want peanut butter, but you don't want gravel.... somewhere in-between will do.

Rocket:

Forget the baby rocket, go for the full sized matured peppery flavored leaf.

Oil:

EVO(Extra Virgin Olive Oil) can be overpowering on the flavor - if this is too much for you, use light Olive Oil or Rice Bran Oil(same cooking properties as EVO without the big taste).

Storing:

When storing the Pesto, press plastic film right down onto the Pesto to avoid oxidization.

Your take on Pesto:

Always, always, always pre-prep Pesto ingredients. - And if you have enough produce at hand - always pre-prep a little more than needed - so you can balance out the end result. Pesto is unique on the palette to everyone - the important thing to remember is to get the base ingredients ready - and make it to your liking - there are no rules.

Be patient:

Number 1 mistake with Pesto - adding too much of this and not enough of that! Reason being when you bring all the flavors together they are very much bangin' on being very excited -basically oils and the acids are reacting! You need to leave it sit for at least 1 hour to sample the end flavor - get some intuition going on - it might taste a bit strange now, but in 1 hour?

Salt and Pepper:

Sea salt and whole pepper corns pushed through a Mortar and Pestle does best - fresher bigger seasoning - otherwise use what you have. Black pepper is a must though - not white.

Ingredients:

Juice of 1/2 small lemon

1/4 cup of Parmesan

1/2 Cup Oil(Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Rice Bran Oil)

3 tablespoons of finely crushed/chopped Almonds

2 cloves of garlic

1 1/2 cups chopped Rocket - go for 2 if you like.

Zest off 1/4 a lemon - go for 1/2 if you like.

Sea Salt and ground pepper. - Enough for your taste.

Prep:

Chop the Rocket to as small as you can get it - set aside

Grate Parmesan - set aside

Zest Lemon - set aside

Grind salt and pepper - set aside

Chop Garlic as small as you can get it - don't use a garlic mincer - then set aside

Juice lemon - set aside

Grind Almonds in motor and pestle(or smash up using tea towel and fry pan) - set aside

Place all ingredients in a bowl with oil, and mix gently till combined. Add more of any ingredient to adjust to your taste - for those that can't do cheese, add more Almonds in place of the cheese.

Don't forget to have fun.