Spicy Hatch Chile & Basil Pesto Recipe:
Roasted Hatch Chile (peeled, deseeded)
Basil (you could also use Cilantro)
1-2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
Lots of Garlic Cloves
Walnuts
Salt & Pepper to taste
Squeeze of lemon or lime
Blend all ingredients together in a food processor. We use whatever we have on hand, you can make a big batch or a small batch, and vary up the ingredient proportions - every batch is unique to what we have to work with. You can also substitute out the walnuts for pine nuts, cashews, almonds, or other nuts or no nuts. Feel free to add in parmesan if you desire as well to add more flavor. You can use a whole big bunch of cilantro or basil, and 1-2 hatch chiles or a lot more if you want it super spicy.
Enjoy this delicious pesto tossed with pasta, on crackers, sandwiches, wraps, you name it!
Grow Basil seeds in a sunny windowsill or under lights in the winter months.It is great to have in the winter for fresh herbs to add to your meals, and for a cheery bit of green! Basil grows quite well near a sunny window or under any florescent ights. Use it often - pruning keeps it bushier, and it is great to use fresh on top of pizza, soups, pastas, in pestos, you name it. Cut into ribbons or finely dice, or use whole leaves for Caprese salads! However you enjoy it, fresh Basil is always wonderful to have on hand year round in the kitchen.
We start Basil seeds indoors in the winter months, and grow and prune them for using in the kitchen – however, once spring arrives we often transplant them into the garden to they can grow to their full potential. We have some of our Basil under lights, but some of it grows in a sunny window (albeit, the window plants are a little more lanky!)
Even with pruning, they will eventually bloom especially if planted in the garden. When they go to bloom, we don't mind, the bees and pollinators love the blooms, and they fill the air with a nice fragrance. Plus, once the seed heads dry, you can collect the seeds to sow another generation!
You can also grow Hatch Chile plants in your garden anywhere you can grow tomatoes. Hatch chile seeds are easy to grow into robust plants with huge green chile pods that you can roast and use in all sorts of Hatch Chile Recipes.
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