Sage Flower Pesto

 If you’ve planted basil in this year’s garden and you are still waiting for it to thrive, you may have some other perennial herbs that you can use to get your pesto fix. I was pinching blossoms from sage plants to encourage their growth, and was inspired to whip up this super easy pesto with what I had on hand for a quick dinner. Traditionally, pesto is made with basil, olive oil, a good quality Parmesan cheese, garlic, and pine nuts. The flavors of sage and walnuts in this variation make for a winning combination.

Toss with pasta, or spread onto a wedge of bread. I ended up with extra and plan to put a few dollops onto flatbread tonight along with grilled vegetables.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

2 cups sage flowers and leaves
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
1/3 cup walnuts, lightly toasted
2 medium cloves of garlic minced
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Instructions

1. Rinse sage blossoms and leaves. Discard stems. Pat dry.
2. Add them to the food processor with the walnuts and garlic; and pulse several times.
3. Turn off the food processor, and scrape inside of the processor as needed. While the food processor is running, carefully drizzle olive oil in through the feeder tube, and blend until desired consistency.
4. Turn off the machine and scrape down sides again; replace the lid, and give a few more pulses to incorporate ingredients.

Pesto can be used immediately or placed into a clean jar with a thin layer of olive oil on top of the pesto. If you would like to store it a bit longer, it stores well in the freezer in a plastic container with a tight fitting lid.