Most people in the Western hemisphere know shiso as a garnish for sushi and sashimi platters, but these delicious green leaves are so much more than a decoration. They can be added to salads and smoothies, or turned into delicious pesto.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup shiso leaves, packed
- 1/2 cup pistachio nuts
- 1 small garlic clove
- juice of 2-3 green yuzu (use lime or lemon if you cannot get yuzu)
- 1/3 cup virgin olive oil
- pinch freshly ground Sansho (Japanese pepper)
- 1/2 tsp raw white miso paste (optional)
- tiny pinch Celtic sea salt
Method:
- Place shiso leaves, pistachios and garlic clove in the bowl of a food processor and blend until almost smooth.
- Add all remaining ingredients and blend again. Adjust the taste to your personal liking and serve with raw zucchini, cucumber, or daikon (white radish) pasta. Enjoy in good company!
Tip: You can change the taste of this pesto completely by replacing garlic with young ginger. Or add thinly sliced green garlic scapes and a dash of tamari for a more Japanese twist.
Ingredients in this recipe are somewhat exotic, but can be easily obtained in Asian (Japanese) grocery stores and supermarkets, and probably online.
In radiant health, passionately raw - Dominique
Dominique Allmon©2016