Gut-Loving Herb Pesto, Trish's Way

This is not a pesto in the classic basil-and-parmesan sense. It is a method I use to get more fresh herbs into my week without adding another dish to plan around: grind whatever herbs you have got with olive oil, keep it in a jar, and spoon it over food at the table. Fifteen minutes, dairy-free, and it works with almost any herbs already in the fridge or the garden.

The idea behind it

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Herbs such as rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley, coriander, oregano, chives, sage and garlic are rich in polyphenols, the plant compounds behind their sharper flavours. Herbs and garlic have long been used for their antimicrobial and gut-supportive properties, and blending them raw into oil is a simple way to eat more of them, rather than treating them as a garnish. This is a way of eating well, not a treatment for any condition, and results vary from person to person.

What you need

• 150ml olive oil
• 1 clove garlic
• A handful of fresh herbs, whatever is on hand
• ¼ cup raw cashews or pine nuts
• ½ teaspoon tamari, or ½ teaspoon brown rice miso paste
• A pinch of red chilli powder (optional)
• A squeeze of half a lemon, or 1 drop of food-grade lemon essential oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Roughly chop the herbs and garlic if you are working without a food processor.
2. Blend the herbs, garlic, nuts, tamari or miso, chilli and lemon with the olive oil in a herb grinder or food processor until you have a rough, runny paste. A mortar and pestle does the job too, or the rounded end of a rolling pin in a bowl.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon into a jar. It will keep at room temperature for a couple of days, then move it to the fridge.

A few of Trish’s go-to blends

• Sage, thyme and cumin seeds, ground separately first so they are as fine as possible, then blended with the fresh herbs, oil and a pinch of sea salt.
• Oregano, parsley, basil and garlic, with a little red chilli and a teaspoon of brown rice miso paste.
• Turmeric root, chives and rosemary, with a touch of tamari.

Serving it

Spoon a teaspoon or two over salads or finished dishes rather than cooking it in. Adding it raw, after the heat, keeps more of the herbs’ natural compounds intact than stirring it through a hot pan.

Leave out the nuts if you need to, and if you are watching sodium, cut back the tamari or miso and lean on extra lemon and herbs instead.

About Trish

Trish Tucker-May is a Registered Nutritionist, a member of the Federation of Nutritional Therapy Practitioners (UK), and author of Nourish Your Gut For A Positive Menopause. She works with women over 40 on gut health and hormonal balance. Read more on her expert page, or find her at www.trishtuckermay.com.

Nutrition information on Cuisine Seeker is general in nature and is not a substitute for advice from your GP or an accredited practising dietitian.