The Leafy Cauldron

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Chervil Pesto / Pesto au cerfeuil

June 12, 2016 by theleafycauldron

Chervil Pesto 2

La version française de cette recette suit plus bas.

Coming off of such a difficult winter, our deck garden has really been a saviour. Everything is so lush and green, you can’t help but want to sit out in such a magical spot. One of the most delightful parts of the garden so far has been my favourite herb growing – chervil. We took a trip to Ritcher’s Herbs and picked some up, along with marjoram, Genovese basil, Thai basil, garlic chives, lemon gem marigolds, lavender and French tarragon. Chervil is a delicate herb, most often seen in French cooking. It has a slight anise flavour; I would describe it as a cross between basil, French tarragon and the loveliest Italian parsley you’ve ever eaten. Everything else is growing wonderfully – the tomato plants are basically out of control, but we’ve been able to eat the most of the chervil so far.

Herb boxA pesto seemed like a natural for this herb and so I whizzed one up – only took me about five minutes total. It is so savoury, with a strong cheese-like flavour and the hint of the unknown, while being like the thing you already know so well. It would be perfect on grilled veggies, sauteed tofu, boiled new potatoes or our fried gnocchi. We used toasted sunflower seeds to keep it nut-free and allergy-friendly, but pine nuts would be just as well if you’d prefer. I am actually partial to alternatives to pine nuts in pestos, as the last time I ate them, I got the so-called pine mouth.
Chervil Pesto IngredientsChervil Pesto 
Makes ~1 cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

2 cups fresh chervil, some stems included, roughly chopped
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 clove garlic
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, both to taste

Combine chervil, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor or mortar. Pulse several times to start to break it down. Season with salt and pepper. Pulse several more times while slowly drizzling the olive oil in until all combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Store in an air tight container in the fridge.
Chervil Pesto 1 ChervilAprès un hiver ardu notre jardin de terrasse arrive à point. Cet havre féerique est si vert et si luxuriant qu’on se tarde de s’y retrouver. Un aspect des plus agréable du jardin est l’apparition de mon représentant préféré des fines herbes – le cerfeuil. Nous sommes allés chez Ritcher’s Herbs pour en acheter, ainsi que de la marjolaine, du Basilico Genovese, du basilic thaï, de la ciboulette, de la tagète citron, de la lavande, et de l’estragon. Le cerfeuil est une herbe délicate, légèrement anisée, qu’on retrouve particulièrement dans la cuisine française. Elle se décrirait comme un croisement entre le basilic, l’estragon, et un persil italien le plus frais et le plus tendre. Le reste du jardin prolifère – les plants de tomates sont hors de contrôle ! – mais nous avons tout même pu consommer presque tout le cerfeuil.

Il me semblait parfait pour un pesto alors j’ai improvisé celui-ci en un tour de main. Il est si savoureux, fromagé, avec un goût à la fois indéterminé et familier. Il se marierait parfaitement aux légumes grillés, tofu sauté, pommes de terres fraîches bouillies, ou bien avec nos gnocchi frits. Nous avons utilisé des graines de tournesol afin d’éviter les noix, allergènes communs, bien entendu, mais vous pouvez remplacer par les pignons. Pour moi-même, ayant subi une dysgueusie dû aux pignons, je favorise toujours une quelconque substitution.

Pesto au cerfeuil 
donne ~1 tasse
temps de préparation: 5 minutes
temps total: 10 minutes

2 tasses de cerfeuil frais, avec quelques tiges, coupé grossièrement
1/4 tasse de graines de tournesol grillées
1/3 tasse de flocons de levure alimentaire
1 c. à thé de jus de citron, fraîchement pressé
1 gousse d’ail
2/3 tasse d’huile d’olive extra vierge
pincée de sel et poivre moulu, au goût

Rassembler cerfeuil, graines de tournesol, levure alimentaire, jus de citron, et ail dans un robot culinaire ou un mortier. Battre quelques coups. Ajouter sel et poivre.  Battre plusieurs coups en ajoutant l’huile jusqu’à ce que le tout soit bien combiné. Goûter et assaisonner au besoin.  Conserver dans un contenant hermétique au réfrigérateur.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: en francais, garden, Gluten free, Herbs, Nut free, pesto, Vegan

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We here at The Leafy Cauldron believe food should be life affirming. We can do better! Started in 2011 as passion project to share a love of Harry Potter and vegan food, we've now branched out to focus on fun, fresh and innovative recipes that also happen to be allergy-friendly with zero compromise when it comes to taste and texture.

Dissatisfied with some common attitudes in vegan cooking, we decided to start a log of our own kitchen adventures. You’ll find fun and fresh recipes here presented in a to-the-point fashion. I promise to never, ever use the words “real food”.

If you're dealing with allergies and you're hoping to find a familiar recipe, let us know on Facebook and we'll try to help you out!

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