Nothing says apero like a small square of this tangy tart from the South of France
Shhhh! dont tell anybody but if you have a jar or two of Onion & Beer Confit handy and some very buttery pastry then this is a five minute assembly job. With a bit of planning this is how “Slow Food” can be “Fast Food” 😉 and how you can be a kitchen star with ease! Traditionally this is made with bread and indeed made with a pizza dough it is also sublime but must be eaten on the spot…generally not a problem.
Speedy and super versatile. Always have some in your fridge.
My original version uses preserved lemons but I realise not everybody has those to hand. In this speedier version the zest of a lemon is used. I use this to spread on bruschetta, make instant galettes, coat pasta, make crusts on meat, as a dip, on crostini as canapes, in chunky sandwiches with goats cheese and more.
In summer it is incredible made with home made slow roasted tomatoes and a great thing to do with a tomato glut. In winter or when time is short, a jar of good sun dried tomatoes in oil can be put to no better use I think.
A blender. For this recipe actually a small hand blender is better than your big one that you might use for smoothies and soups as the quantity is smaller.
Here is my basic recipe and the quantities are for guidance only, the key thing here is to make it how you like it:
A jar of sun dried tomatoes oil and all or a jar of home bottled roast tomatoes in which case no need to add any extra tomato puree or water which you may need to add if you are using jarred sun dried tomatoes. The jar I use is approximately 300ml.
200-250g of walnuts. The ones from the market I always prefer but they do contain teeth shattering shards of shell often!
The zest of one lemon. take care to scrub the lemon first unless it is organic and free of nasty waxy stuff.
chilli (I am sensitive so I dont add a huge amount…if you prefer a dip more on the muhamara side of things…spice it up)
If you are using home bottle tomatoes you might want to add a glug more of olive oil
2 to three and possibly four cloves of garlic. I like quite a lot
salt pepper and absolutely do not omit the cinnamon. half to one teaspoon.
As long as there is a little layer of oil over the pesto it will keep very happily in the fridge for 4-6 weeks.
Tomatoes are a treasure of riches when it comes to their antioxidant benefits. In terms of conventional antioxidants, tomatoes provide an excellent amount of vitamin C and beta-carotene; a very good amount of the mineral manganese; and a good amount of vitamin E. But it is their “lycopene” (a carotenoid that is a powerful anti oxidant) that makes them a real superstar. Interestingly to absorb this lycopene you need to eat them with some oil – so the pesto is the perfect way! Read this HMS study about their benefits.
Blitz it up in a food blender. I like to keep mine with a bit of texture – think of the difference between crunchy and smooth peanut butter.
Thats it.
The new mayonnaise. And that is saying a lot because I adore mayonnaise and happily eat it straight out of the jar. Always have and always will. This my friends is my absolute favourite new thing and I have been slathering it over bread, dipping veggies (well ok then crisps too) into it and drizzling it over salads all summer long.
Cream and nuts. Sounds so very wrong and yet it is so very very right. This sauce sort of has shades of skordalia the Greek ode to garlic (olive oil, garlic potatoes) and a Balkan “scordolea” (sunflower oil, garlic and walnuts) and is stunning for its simplicity. It really is just sour cream, walnuts and garlic perhaps helped along with a little salt and pepper. Made thick it is a sublime dip and side sauce for fried slices of aubergine or zucchini. Thinned a little it is a sublime salad dressing especially for green beans. And warmed it is a standout walnut pesto sauce over some home made ravioli filled with charred aubergine. And in case oysters and champagne are not your thing this little number has some fairly saucy health benefits too, read on…
