Friday, June 12, 2009

Rocket and warm winters day

Well the cold has left us (for the moment at least!) and what started as a rainy winters days turned on blue skies - great timing as the moon calendar said today was good for planting garlic and I really wanted to get mine in.  I've never planted by the moon calendar before, and with garlic usually just go with the traditional shortest day.  But good to give things a go, so we'll see in 6 months time!  

I had planned to write about the dessert I made last night to take to a friends, but then I was checking out Closet cooking and saw the very same lemon slice (meyer lemon bars Kevin calls them) over there so decided instead to talk about rocket instead.  My garden is chockka with rocket at the moment - took me awhile to realise it's best grown in autumn/winter and spring, leave summer to the lettuces!

Anyway this is a great, fast pesto using another autumn goodie - walnuts - which is delicious with wholemeal pasta.......

Rocket walnut pesto
1.  Fill your food processor bowl with rocket.
2.  Add grated parmesan, chopped garlic and toasted walnuts, process.
3.  Add oil a bit at a time, blending all the while until you get your desired consistency.
4.  Add salt, and more parmesan, garlic, oil or walnuts as required, blending until it tastes good!
Stir through pasta.