BC Living
How to Support BC Wineries Now
Embark on Culinary Adventures: 5 Must-Try Solo Dining Experiences Around BC
You Gotta Try this in April 2024
4 Tips on Balancing a Nutritious Diet with a Side of Indulgence
Choosing Connection: A BC Family Day Pledge to Prioritize Presence Over Plans
Embracing Plant-Based Living this Veganuary and Beyond
Inviting the Steller’s Jay to Your Garden
6 Budget-friendly Holiday Decor Pieces
Dream Home: $8 Million for a Modern Surprise
Protected: Spring into Fun in Kamloops: The Best Events in the City
Travel Light, Travel Right: Minimalist Packing Tips for Solo Explorers
A Solo Traveller’s Guide to Cozy Accommodations
Melodies and Museums: Solo-Friendly Entertainment for the Independent Traveller
Arts Club Theatre Company Celebrates 60 Years
Films and TV Series that Inspire Solo Travel
8 Gadgets and Gear for Your Solo Adventures
A Solo Traveller’s Guide to Souvenir Hunting in BC
Sḵwálwen Botanicals – Changing the Face of Skincare
Try this traditional Italian sauce with a BC twist
Although traditionally made with basil, pesto can also be made with watercress or nettles
“Pesto” comes from the Italian pestare – to pound. In Italy, pesto is made with basil, olive oil, garlic, salt and Parmesan cheese.
When made in a mortar and pestle, the basil maintains its sweet, floral flavours and does not become bitter, like it tends to do when made in a blender. Compensation for that bitterness comes from adding more than the usual amount of fresh grated Reggiano. Give the mortar and pestle a try and make your Nonna proud.
This pesto recipe follows the ratio of ingredients in a traditional recipe, but that’s where the similarity ends. The greens grow wild on BC’s Sunshine Coast and the nuts are from the Lower Mainland – and it’s all available at the Vancouver Farmers Market.
Feel free to add the cheese if you like, perhaps something from Salt Spring Island or Cowichan Valley. Because the greens are so hardy, and bitter is their thing, a blender does the trick with no gustatory harm.
Ingredients
Instructions
Makes about 1 ½ cups.