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Pumpkin Seed & Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

17/07/2015 By Laura Hemmington 2 Comments

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Pesto is one of my favourite things to make – it’s simple, speedy, versatile and can take on whatever flavours you want it to have.

This Pumpkin Seed & Sun Dried Tomato Pesto makes a nice change from nut or pine nut-based recipes and tastes just as divine dolloped on a hot dish of pasta as it does a raw tomato salad.

You’ll know by now that some of my favourite ingredients include tomatoes, olives and fresh lemon. The Mediterranean really is my culinary spiritual home and – aside from when I’m cooking up curries or Asian-inspired noodle dishes or salads – the flavours of this region tend to form the basis of my recipe ideas.

I don’t know about you, but the mere hint of an olive and some fresh herbs has me daydreaming of salty seas, chilled rosé and some olive oil-dipped bread. So even when I know I might not be visiting my favourite summer shores any time soon, I know I can recreate at least some of the flavours and memories in my own kitchen.

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This recipe is so simple, but it can be used in all manner of ways. How about:

  • spread on crusty bread, or slices of apple and tomato for a quick snack;
  • stirred into zoodles or spaghetti for an instant pasta sauce;
  • as a simple and delicious dip;
  • spread on chickpea-flour blinis to serve as a canapé (as featured in these photos); or
  • as a surprisingly tangy and effective alternative to cheese…

Now, you might be wondering what on earth this has to do with cheese, but bear with me. This recipe came about as a little something extra to go with a rich and spicy pasta dish that I’ve been testing (and will be sharing with you soon). I was fully intending on also making some brazil nut or almond parmesan, but as soon as I tasted this pesto I was amazed at how much it added a real piquancy.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this tastes of cheese, but it has a savoury cheese-effect. Perhaps it’s the saltiness of the olives with the tangy tomatoes, or the earthiness of the pumpkin seeds, but it just works.

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If you love simple but flavoursome Mediterranean recipes, here my top 5 from the archives – which, put together, actually make a rather lovely lunch or picnic spread:

  1. Mini Kalamata Quiches
  2. 3-Ingredient Kalamata Tapenade
  3. Greek-Style Baby Aubergines
  4. Chermoula-Spiced Karantita
  5. Kale Fattoush.

Taste that sunshine and sea, smell the fresh herbs and listen to the glug of a caraffe being refreshed (or emptied).

How will you combine this 6-ingredient pesto with your favourite dishes?

Pumkpkin Seed & Sundried Tomato Pesto
 
Print
Preparation time
10 mins
Total time
10 mins
 
This 6-ingredient pesto packs an incredible punch! Bursting with Mediterranean flavour, this recipe is incredibly versatile and quick to make.
Author: Laura, The Whole Ingredient
Recipe type: Dips, condiments, preserves
Cuisine: 30 minutes or less, Vegan, Gluten Free
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 30g pumpkin seeds
  • 10 sun dried tomatoes (approx 40g)
  • 20 pitted olives (I like to use kalamata)
  • 30g / 1 bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
  • Juice of ½ lemon (organic if possible)
  • 1 tbsp good olive oil
Method
  1. Hydrate the sun dried tomatoes in hot water and set aside.
  2. Briefly blitz the pumpkin seeds in a food processor - I like to retain some of the texture, rather than create a powder.
  3. Add the remaining ingredients to the pumpkin seeds and pulse until you have a paste. This is quite a thick pesto - if you want it to be more liquid, add more oil.
  4. Store in a sterilised jar in the fridge. It should keep for at least a week.
3.3.3077

 

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Filed Under: snacks, sauces, jars Tagged With: gluten free, healthy, low fat, mediterranean, nutritious, olive oil, pesto, plant-based, pumpkin seeds, raw, superfoods, vegan recipe, wholefoods

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Comments

  1. Mandy says

    21/07/2015 at 6:42 am

    Laura! This looks and sounds wonderful. I’m an olive addict, so I most definitely need to try this. Such a creative recipe!

    Reply
    • Laura, The Whole Ingredient says

      21/07/2015 at 7:35 am

      Thank you Mandy! I love that we have such similar tastes – I’m pretty sure we could both live off olives! Lx

      Reply

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