Most Definitely Not Your Typical Pesto.

In my last post, I talked about the vinegars I made with the last of the herbs in my summer garden. Well, I’m at it again, wanting to use up my herbs before the first frost sets in. This time I decided to make a pesto using only rosemary and tarragon for the herbs. Here’s how I came to this decision.

My favorite marinade for lamb chops uses plenty of rosemary, tarragon, garlic, and lemon. I hoped that making a pesto from those same ingredients would be even better because I would get a bigger jolt of flavor from a dollop of pesto than I’d get from a marinade. 

This was one of those times when I had to frequently taste and adjust the seasonings and ingredients in order to get it right. To start off, I knew I’d need my blender in order to get the right consistency. Rosemary isn’t fragile and tender. It’s got some strength in those leaves, so a blender it would be. I would imagine my food processor would also work, but I have a Vitamix blender and knew it would do the trick, so that’s what I used. 

Besides the rosemary and tarragon, a couple cloves of garlic seemed like the right amount. I didn’t want raw garlic to be the predominant flavor.  I decided to use toasted walnuts for both their flavor and texture.  Lemon juice and zest, salt, pepper, and olive oil were added and I gave it a good blitz. 

Well, remember when I had to do some tasting and adjusting to get this right? It tasted flat. The flavors were nice and herbal, but needed more depth and punch. Instead of adding even more lemon juice, I opted for a little red wine vinegar. Then a healthy pinch of red pepper flakes, and a little more salt went in. 

More blitzing ensued. It was definitely better, but it needed more depth. As much as some people dislike the word umami, there are times when no other word will suffice. Umami was the missing element. A half cup of pecorino cheese was the answer. I had thought about using cheese early on, but thought it might be overkill. I was wrong. It was definitely needed in order to round out the full flavor profile.

One concern I had was hoping the rosemary wouldn’t be overwhelming in its pine-like flavor. Know what I mean? It’s really interesting how it worked out. The rosemary becomes part of the whole and doesn’t scream its existence in your mouth. 

Spooning it on top of lamb chops ended up being a very good idea. Lamb’s full flavor holds up well to the flavor of the pesto. They’re a lovely match. And cooking the chops could hardly be easier.  

I sprinkle them with Himalayan black salt/kala namak * and black pepper. Himalayan black salt * is very distinct. It has a sulphur-like smell that is shocking the first time you smell it. When it cooks with the lamb, it imparts a flavor that I think does more for lamb than any ingredient I’ve ever added. It brings out the full flavor of the lamb in a way I really can’t describe. All I can say is that ever since using the salt on lamb several years ago, I’ve never cooked lamb without it.

The seasoned chops go into a hot cast iron skillet with a little oil and they’re cooked on the first side until they’re nicely browned. Flip them over and cook the other side, then the edges of the chop. I sometimes add a little butter and herbs to the skillet and spoon it over the chops, but that wasn’t necessary this time because they would be getting plenty of added flavor from the pesto.

I ended up with some leftover pesto, so later in the week I stirred it into a sheet pan of roasted potatoes and green beans. I used the very last of it by whisking it into some olive oil and spooning it on top of sliced tomatoes. I also think it would be great with roast chicken, pork, etc.

I loved it. I’m not always a fan of traditional basil pesto. It can sometimes take over all the other flavors or else it can actually be rather bland and boring and not add much at all. This rosemary pesto does neither of those things. You definitely know it’s there, otherwise, what is the point. And it’s delicious.