sauce

Sorrel and Basil Pesto: Easy use of garden herbs

Sorrel and basil are combined with the popular ingredients of pesto to create a creamy and delicious sauce. Instead of pine nuts, the earthy taste of walnuts are used. This pesto is great for tossing into pasta or spread on bread for a sandwich.

Why Sorrel and Basil?

As we transition to fall, I feel lucky to make one of my favorite sauces. I could probably eat pesto every day, and my garden is giving me so many fresh ingredients to make pesto before it retires for the winter. The use of sorrel in this recipe pairs well with traditional basil because of it’s lemony flavor that gives it a special brightness.

As a home gardener, sorrel was my favorite addition to our yard this year. It’s a pretty hardy perennial that required very little maintenance. I planted mine in a large bucket because I was pregnant and running low on energy at the time. I plan to transplant it to a more permanent spot in one of my garden beds soon. If you’re a gardener too, here’s a helpful article I found about sorrel.

Here, I tossed together fettuccini noodles, peas and this pesto for a meal. I topped the dish with seasoned breadcrumbs to make it a “pangrattato”.

Mise En Place

Sorrel – rinsed, dried and lightly torn
Basil – rinsed and dried
Olive Oil
Parmesan Cheese – grated
Garlic – lightly chopped
Walnuts
Lemon Juice
Sea Salt

How to make Sorrel and Basil Pesto

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, add all of the ingredients.
Blend until smooth.
If desired, add additional oil and blend until mixture is thinned and the consistency you like.

Tips for making this pesto

This recipe makes 3/4 cup of pesto.
If you prefer your pesto to be thinner, turn blender back on and slowly dribble in more oil until it reaches the desired consistency.
Can’t find walnuts? Try using pine nuts or pecans instead.

All in All

I love having a go-to pesto to make right in my own kitchen. The “icing on the cake” is being able to use fresh foods right from my own yard. Pesto can be versatile if you are brave enough to stray away from the traditional ingredients and this recipe was perfect for my taste. I think I need to incorporate this pesto into my Chicken, Spinach and Pesto Lasagna very soon!

Sorrel and Basil Pesto

5 from 10 votes

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Prep Time 10

Course Sauces and Dips

Cuisine Italian

Equipment

Food Processor
Measuring Cups and Spoons

Ingredients

2 cups fresh sorrel
1/3 cup walnuts
1 cup basil leaves
1 large garlic clove
1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil extra virgin

Instructions

Add all of the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor or blender.
Blend for 2-3 minutes on a slow speed until the herbs and nuts are finely minced and mixture is smooth.
Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.

Notes

This recipe makes 3/4 cup of pesto.

If you prefer your pesto to be thinner, turn blender back on and slowly dribble in more oil until it reaches the desired consistency.

Can’t find walnuts? Try using pine nuts or pecans instead.

Keyword dip, pesto, sauce

The Surprising Holiday Twist: Bourbon and Orange Cranberry Sauce

Looking to take your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner to the next level? Discover how adding a unique twist to the classic cranberry sauce with bourbon and orange zest can elevate your feast.

Twist on Traditional Cranberry Sauce

As the winter holidays approach, we all begin to dream of a delicious spread of turkey, stuffing, and all the classic sides. But what if I told you there was a way to elevate your Thanksgiving table to a whole new level? Introducing Bourbon & Orange Cranberry Sauce – a twist on the traditional cranberry sauce that is unique and flavorful. This cranberry sauce combines the tartness of cranberries with the warmth of bourbon and the brightness of oranges, creating a mouthwatering accompaniment to your holiday feast.

The Perfect Blend of Sweet and Tangy

To achieve the perfect blend of sweet and tangy flavors in your Bourbon and Orange Cranberry Sauce, adding a boozy touch with bourbon will elevate the dish to a whole new level of deliciousness.,

Of course, my cranberry sauce is very KENTUCKY. It includes brown sugar and sorghum as sweeteners. The Kentucky bourbon gives it an untraditional, yet flavorful depth.

Bourbon class in front of fresh cranberries in a bowl and an orange

Mise En Place

Before we dive into the recipe, let’s prep our ingredients. You’ll need:

Fresh Cranberries: Be sure to rinse and drain them.
Brown Sugar – I used a 1/4 cup packed.
Sorghum is a syrupy sweetener common in the South. You can substitute molasses or honey.
Bourbon – Use your favorite bourbon! I used Evan Williams in this.
Vanilla Bean
Orange- This recipe calls for using the entire orange. You’ll zest it first and then cut in half to use the juice.
Thyme- Fresh herbs are best. Remove from stems and lightly chop. You may also try rosemary or marjoram for a different variation.
Cinnamon and allspice- this combo gives the sauce that fall feeling we all love during the holidays.

Pecorino Romano Dip: Easy Cold Appetizer for Potlucks and Tailgate Parties

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Jump to Recipe

Looking for an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer for fall football tailgates and holiday potlucks? Look no further than this simple Pecorino Romano Dip! This cold, creamy dip is a breeze to whip up. I most recently made this for my coworker’s birthday bash, and it was a hit! Hence, I’m sharing it because I was asked several times if it would be posted 😉.

Whether you’re cheering on your team or gathering for Thanksgiving, this dip will surely be a hit. Plus, it’s an economical choice that won’t break the bank during the costly holiday season. This dip is made with tangy Pecorino Romano cheese and packs a flavorful punch without requiring fancy ingredients or techniques. In this post, I’ll walk you through making this fuss-free dip that can be served with chips or crisp fresh vegetables.

MISE EN PLACE

Before we dive into the recipe, let’s prep our ingredients. You’ll need:

1 cup of Sour Cream
1 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated
1 tablespoon of Lemon Zest (I recommend using an organic lemon)
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste

Ingredients needed for making pecorino romano dip: Lemon, salt, pepper, and sour cream.

NOW THAT WE HAVE EVERYTHING WE NEED LET’S GET STARTED!

Recipe Steps for making Bourbon & Orange Cranberry Sauce

Step 1: Add all ingredients into a pot.

Cranberry sauce is actually quite simple to make. Combine all of your ingredients (except the vanilla bean) in a pot with a little bit of water. Be sure to split the vanilla pod and scrape the vanilla beans into the mixture, but don’t discard the pod. Add the pod to the pot and remove it later.

Ingredients for Bourbon and orange cranberry sauce that have been added to the pot.

Step Two: Bring to a Boil

Next, you’ll bring the mixture to a boil and then lower the temperature. Lowering the temp will allow the cranberries to cook through and for the sauce to thicken. Cranberries pop open as they cook, so if this is your first time cooking them, don’t be alarmed. You’ll know that your sauce is done once all of the berries pop open.

You can now remove the vanilla bean pod and discard it.

Step 4 : Cool Sauce and Serve

Once the sauce cools, it is ready to serve. If desired, you can garnish it with fresh herbs and more orange zest.

Bourbon and orange cranberry sauce garnished with additional orange zest and fresh thyme.

Storing

On Thanksgiving week, I usually make my cranberry sauce 2-3 days ahead of time. It keeps very well refrigerated in an airtight container. I personally do not reheat the sauce. I usually either serve it chilled or at room temperature.

All in All

I hope you have a wonderful holiday with family and friends! Remember to enjoy every moment with your loved ones and appreciate the meals we get to fellowship over. Also, have some fun in the kitchen changing up traditional recipes.

If you’re looking for some more great holiday dish options, consider these…

Appetizer: Pimeto Cheese

Side Dish: Smashed Potatoes w/ truffle oil, sage & parmesan

Pie or Dessert Topping: Bourbon Whipped Cream

Have you ever made a “twist” on a traditional holiday food or dish? Please share what you did. If not, what’s a holiday dish you would want to change up?

Bourbon and Orange Cranberry Sauce

This remix on cranberry sauce includes very southern ingredients such as Kentucky bourbon, sorghum, and brown sugar.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Cooling Time 1

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

4 cups fresh cranberries rinsed and drained
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 orange zested and juiced
1 vanilla bean
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2-3 springs fresh thyme removed from stems and lightly chopped
1/4 cup water

Instructions

In a large pot combine all ingredients except vanilla bean. Split open the vanilla bean and scrape seeds into the mixture. Add the pod as well.
Bring ingredients to a boil and lower the temperature. Let simmer 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the majority of the cranberries burst open. Turn off heat and allow to cool before serving.
Discard vanilla bean pod and serve cranberry sauce at room temperature or chilled. To garnish, add additional orange zest and/or fresh thyme.

Notes

If sorghum is not available in your area, you can substitute honey or molasses. Sorghum and molasses are the same dark color.
No vanilla bean pod? No problem. Use 3 teaspoons of vanilla extract or 3 teaspoons of vanilla paste.

Asparagus Pesto

This asparagus pesto is vibrant, healthy, and best of all, fresh. Toss this bright sauce in pasta or use as a topping for appetizers.

No Basil? No problem.

If you’re like me, you may be most familiar with (and slightly addicted to) the classic basil pesto. Classic basil pesto is also called Pesto alla Genovese. It includes a combination of basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil. I recently learned that classic basil pesto is most traditionally made using a mortar and pestle. This sent me down a rabbit hole of pesto history that will definitely be shared in an upcoming post.

As for this asparagus pesto recipe, it is a spin on traditional pesto. This recipe includes pine nuts, olive oil, finely grated Parmesan, garlic and instead of basil, asparagus. The sauce also incorporates fresh lemon for acidity that compliments the asparagus well.

Ingredients for asparagus pesto recipe — Mise en place: Asparagus, lemon, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts, garlic.

Techniques to know for this recipe:

Blanch: Parboil in water or steam; cooking stops by submerging food into a cold water bath.
Toast: Make food hot or browned using heat
Puree: Make a paste or thick liquid by blending foods together.

Blanching: Parboiled asparagus submerged in ice water bath.

Pine nuts toasting in dry pan — Toasting: Heating pine nuts over medium heat in a dry pan.

Pureed food in a food processor bowl. — Pureeing: Ingredients were blended together into a paste like consistency using a food processor.

As mentioned earlier, I learned that a mortar and pestle is most traditionally used to make pesto. I used my food processor to make this recipe. The cooking time is minimal for this. If you have a good blender, it will work fine too. The idea is to blend and puree the ingredients into the paste-like consistency that we love about pesto.

I love how bright green this asparagus pesto is. Blanching the asparagus allows the asparagus to get cooked just enough with being soggy or losing it’s flavor and beautiful color.

Pesto Nuts

There are many pesto recipes that call for various types of nuts such as walnuts, pistachios, or pecans. For this pesto I use pine nuts. You can find pine nuts at most grocery stores these days. Lightly toasting the pine nuts in a dry pan first brings out more flavor and therefore deepens the flavor of the pesto. Be careful not to toast the nuts for more than a few minutes as they do burn easily.

Raw pine nuts in glass bowl — Pine nuts have several health benefits and are a traditional pesto ingredient.

How I Used This Sauce

I tossed about a cup of the pesto into a shrimp pasta dish. It was delicious! My husband really enjoyed it too. I think my toddler enjoyed the bright color and messiness, all while getting a small dose of vegetables into his diet.

Shrimp Pasta tossed with asparagus pesto.

I also made a healthy little snack by topping crostinis with the pesto. I plan on using this for future parties or barbeques and dressing it up a little bit with garnish. I think people will enjoy it as an appetizer. It will especially be a cooling treat for events hosted on the deck. Overall, this asparagus pesto kept well in the fridge for about 3 days making it a good recipe to make ahead.

Crostini with asparagus pesto — Crostini topped with asparagus pesto.

Other ways you could use asparagus pesto:

Use as a sandwich condiment
Toss in your favorite pasta
Use it as a pizza or flatbread sauce
As a dip

What other ways could you use this sauce in your cooking repertoire?

Asparagus Pesto

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Cook Time 20

Total Time 20

Course Appetizer

Ingredients

1 pound asparagus
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
zest of half a lemon
juice of half a lemon about 2 Tablespoons
salt and pepper (to taste)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese optional

Instructions

Cut woodsy ends of asparagus off and discard. Chopped asparagus into 2 inch pieces.
Blanch asparagus: Bring pot of water to a boil, cook asparagus 5-6 minutes until tender. Strain asparagus and add to bowl of ice water to stop cooking. Let sit in ice bath for 1-2 minutes and then drain.
Toast pine nuts: In a dry skillet, cook pine nuts over medium heat for no more than 3 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. Remove from skillet.
In food processor, blend together the cooked asparagus, toasted pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, dash of salt, and dash of pepper until pureed.
If desired, add parmesan cheese and blend for one more minute. You may need to add another tablespoon of olive oil if mixture is too thick for your preference.
Use pesto immediately or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Keyword sauce

Blueberry Sauce

This recipe incorporates blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and water to make a slightly sweet syrup. This topping is perfect for pancakes, waffles, yogurt, or even ice cream!

Weekend Breakfast

During the week, my son usually eats breakfast at daycare. I try my best to stick to his daily routines on the weekends- including his meal times. Therefore, I look forward to cooking us up a fun breakfast each Saturday and Sunday morning. I found out from his teacher that he loves blueberries. So, this weekend I made a blueberry sauce to top his favorite breakfast food…pancakes.

Baby eating blueberry pancakes with spoon.

The Sauce

Making a blueberry sauce is quick and easy to do. This recipe involves heating together blueberries, sugar, water and lemon juice. I used frozen blueberries, but fresh will work just as well. The combination of sugar and water creates a syrup that thickens slightly with the heat. The lemon gives the sauce a bit of acid to brighten the taste. All together it takes less than 10 minutes to make.

Blueberry Sauce

This recipe incorporates blueberries, sugar, lemon juice and water to make a slightly sweet syrup. This topping is perfect for pancakes, waffles, yogurt, or even ice cream!

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings 2

Ingredients

1 cup blueberries I used frozen
1/8 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat.
Lower heat and simmer 5-6 minutes until blueberries soften and sauce thickens slightly.
Let cool slightly and serve.

Keyword blueberry sauce