Cilantro Pesto...or help it's taking over!

I haven't been a huge fan of growing cilantro since the season always seems so short. I haven't found that it's like basil where it keeps growing. I still decided to grow some this summer since I do like it...but....all of a sudden....it's ready.

Much like Elizabeth with basil pesto last summer, I decided to make cilantro pesto and freeze it. On a recent summer day I decided that I needed to go into production mode with this herb! The funny thing about it though is that it grinds/whirs down to a very small amount. I wish I had taken a picture of all the cilantro I had since it compacts much more than basil. The entire packet of seeds...the entire row of cilantro in my garden...came down to this. One meal....delicious and fresh meal...but still....one meal.

As usual, I made a few changes to the recipe. I used miso instead of the cheese. We'll top the pasta with cheese and I have the miso, so I should use that. I did not use walnuts or pine nuts due to allergies.

Miso paste seems to keep indefinitely. I used it in pesto years ago to make it dairy-free. Not for any particular anti-dairy reason but more for variety. When my friend Carol was undergoing radiation therapy her homeopathic "doctor" neighbor told her miso was an important part of her diet to compensate for the radiation. When I asked him how that helped to counteract the radiation effects (in my Western medicine way), he told me that it was due to the salt. My question was....why not eat a bag of chips? He really couldn't answer that one:) Anyway, Carol was trying to drink miso with hot water. Let's just say she wasn't a fan!!! However, I do find some uses for this, so, if it does have some good properties, hopefully I'll get the benefit of the miso!
Print Page