Roasted Fennel Pesto
w/Pistachios & Fennel Fronds

 

About this recipe:

We love a traditional Basil Pesto (see our recipe for our take on Classic Genovese Pesto Here), but when Fennel season is in full swing, there’s nothing better than this decadent sauce made from roasted Fennel Bulbs, Pistachios, and bright Fennel Fronds. Use it as a dip, a spread, or on pasta, just as you would a basil pesto. Bump up the nutty goodness by blending in a little Roasted Pistachio Oil with your Olive Oil.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Fennel Bulbs

  • 3-4 Long Fennel Fronds

  • 1/4 Cup Shelled Pistachios (see note)

  • 2 Cloves of Garlic

  • 1/2 tsp Orange Zest

  • 3/4 Cup + Extra Virgin Olive Oil

  • Kosher Salt (to taste)

Optional:

  • Roasted Pistachio Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400ºF, and move rack to middle position.

Rinse the fennel bulbs and fennel fronds, and set fronds aside to air dry.

Remove the two outermost segments from the fennel bulbs, and dice them into roughly 1/4 inch pieces. Reserve the remaining fennel bulbs for another use (I like to quarter the bulbs, sear them in a pan until lightly browned on the cut sides, splash them with a fresh squeeze of orange juice, reduce the heat and cover to steam until tender!)

Toss the fennel pieces in about a teaspoon of Olive Oil, and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast fennel for 8 minutes, remove and stir, and add the whole, shelled pistachios and whole garlic cloves (with papery skins still attached). Return to oven and bake 4 minutes more.

While fennel is roasting remove the fine, feathery fennel fronds from the thick stems. Discard the stems and reserve about 1 cup of fronds.

Remove the roasted fennel, garlic, and pistachios from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle.

Remove the papery skins from the garlic cloves and add them, the pistachios, roasted fennel, fennel fronds, and orange zest to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add about 1/2 cup of olive oil and blend until smooth. Add up to an additional 1/4 cup of olive oil to achieve the desired consistency. The pesto should be thick and spreadable. Taste and adjust the seasoning by adding a pinch of salt if necessary (*see ingredients note about salted pistachios).

At this point the pesto can be covered in plastic wrap and refrigerated up to a week, or used as a dip or spread, mixed into mayonnaise to make a sandwich spread (great on a turkey sandwich or in chicken salad).

To use it as a pasta sauce, add about 1/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water to the pesto to thin it, and toss in freshly drained pasta.

Note:

Use unsalted pistachios if available, but salted pistachios are OK. Just hold off on adding additional salt until you taste the pesto