Pesto is one of my secret weapons for taking a recipe up a notch, flavour-wise. If you have a Magic Bullet or a small-size food processor, then you can make any kind of pesto. I don't stick to the traditional basil and pine nut pesto (although it's also delicious!) because I love to experiment with food. And this was certainly one of those times that a little experimenting in the kitchen really paid off.
This time of year, decent tomatoes are scarce and half the time I'm shocked that grocery stores carry such sad looking inventory (like green or tasteless tomatoes that have travelled thousands of miles for no one to buy them). When the pickings are slim, I use the next best thing -- sun-dried tomatoes. You can find them either in the antipasto bar or in the produce section.
There seems to be a popular misconception floating around that "healthy food" means food that doesn't taste good. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Healthy food does taste good, as long as you arm yourself with recipes like this one. It's so easy to take a bland, boring meal and kick it up a notch with just a few simple ingredients.
The other complaint I often hear is that people don't have time to cook healthy - rubbish! It takes all of five minutes to make this pesto -- much less time than it would take to grab takeout grub and bring it back home to your family. This is why homemade pesto should be the kind of recipe you post on your fridge. Not only is it a great topper for fish, but it works quite well with pasta dishes, too.
Sun-dried Tomato Garlic and Cilantro Pesto
8-9 sun-dried tomatoes
1 fresh garlic clove
10 walnuts
4 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (basil, cilantro or parsley)
Dollop of extra-virgin olive oil (about 2 tbsp)
Combine all the ingredients in your food processor and blend for a couple of minutes. Do a little taste test and add more garlic or cilantro if you like, to your desired taste. Spoon a generous amount onto your fish after it's been cooked.
Personally, I don't like putting pesto on before I cook my fish (that is, if it's going in the oven). I like it better spooned on top of the fish. The flavours will just pop in your mouth and I'm quite confident that this is going to become a favourite in your home.
EnJOY!
