Shiso Pesto
December 20, 2022
from Just One Cookbook: https://www.justonecookbook.com/homemade-shiso-pesto/
Ingredients
1 oz shiso leaves (perilla/ooba) (30 leaves, 25 extra large leaves; substitute: basil, arugula, baby spinach, kale, parsley, etc)
3 Tbsp pine nuts (1 oz, 30 g; If time allows, toast them in a non-greased pan for a few minutes until light brown and let cool; substitute: walnut, cashews, almonds, etc)
1 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese (a bit less than ⅓ cup freshly grated; ¼ cup store-shredded)
2 cloves garlic
½ tsp kosher salt (Diamond Crystal; use half for table salt)
⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (plus a little bit more for covering the pesto at the final step)
Directions
1Gather all the ingredients.
2Place the shiso leaves, pine nuts, and garlic into the bowl of a food processor.
3Pulse several times until smooth.
4Add Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
5Pulse several times more.
6Add the olive oil. Note: I never had any issue by adding the olive oil all at once. However, if you're concerned about emulsification, slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the food processor or blender still running.
7Process until smooth. Add a touch of extra oil if required to help it process.
8Stop and scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula and run again until the mixture is smooth. Taste and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, if necessary.
9Pour the pesto into a clean/sterlized jar and cover the pesto with a thin layer of olive oil on top. Close the lid.
