Spruce Tips Pesto
A delicous, citrusy pesto made with the new growth of spruce trees.
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 488kcal
Equipment
- 1 food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh spruce tips
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon walnuts or pine nuts
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon avocado oil (or use more olive oil)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Instructions
- Add one cup of washed spruce tips into a food processor. Add garlic, walnuts (or pinenuts), salt, pepper, nutmeg, and crushed red pepper, if using.
- Process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- While the machine is running, drizzle in the oil.
- Add parmesan cheese and lemon zest. Give it one last whirl.
- Mix in with your favorite pasta dish, or as a substitute for pizza sauce.
Notes
The nutrition info was calculated using basil pesto. Although I tried, I could not find specific nutritional formation on spruce tips.
- Toss fresh, uncooked tips into a salad with other greens.
- Steep dried tips in hot water to make tea. Spruce is loaded with vitamin C, and rich in potassium and magnesium, so the tea can be soothing for a sore throat. Adding a cinnamon stick, honey, and a squeeze of lemon juice has even more health benefits.
- Adding the tips to cold water will impart a mild flavor, similar to adding citrus or cucumber slices to your water.
- Use the tips in the place of rosemary in recipes.
- The tips can also be used in various savory dishes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 488kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Fiber: 4g