Recipe: Radish Greens Pesto

Don’t throw away those greens on your Lenexa Farmers Market radishes! Pungent, peppery radish greens make perfect quick pesto and pack a nutritional punch. Serve it with chicken, fish, pasta, vegetables, potatoes or any other way you would use traditional basil pesto. 

Radish greens pesto stays green even when frozen, unlike the discoloration that happens quickly with basil pesto. But the greens can be muddy, so be sure to wash them thoroughly first.

Recipe credit: Carol Borchardt, From a Chef’s Kitchen

Yield: 2 cups

Ingredients

4 cups packed radish greens, (4 good handfuls) washed and dried
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 large lemon, juiced (approximately 2 tablespoons)
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds, coarsely chopped macadamia nuts, pistachios or pine nuts
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a food processor or blender. (If you can't get all the greens into your processor, work in batches.) Process until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.

2. Add additional olive oil to achieve a thick sauce consistency. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Notes

Substitutions

• Use sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for a nut-free alternative.
• Use brewer’s yeast instead of Parmesan cheese.

Tips

• Radish greens wilt quickly when separated from the root, so keep them refrigerated.
• May also use a little water to achieve a sauce consistency rather than add more oil.

Freezer friendly

• Freeze in small containers as desired for up to six months.