So I walked out to the garden the other night and was amazed by how much my mustard greens had grown in just a couple days. The broad leaves were a good 10 inches long. Hmmm… what to do with these tangy greens? Ahh, pesto? Most people think of basil as the only base for pesto. No so. You can make it with pretty much any leafy green that has a strong flavor.
This simple recipe also uses cashews over pine nuts. I know some cooks who use walnuts for their distinctive flavor. Since pesto is so simple to make, you can experiment to find the recipe that suits you best. This should be enough for 12-16 ounces of dry pasta depending upon how much sauce you like. One more tip: use the best olive oil you can for extra flavor.
Mustard arugula pesto with cashews
- 2 cups lightly packed mustard green leaves with the spines removed if the leaves are large. I just sort of mash them into the cup.
- 1 cup lightly packed arugula leaves.
- 2/3 cups raw cashews (these can be roasted but NOT salted).
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice.
- 2 medium garlic cloves.
- Dash of salt.
- Grated Parmesan cheese (for final prep before serving).
- Olive oil (You’ll need to mix this as you go. How much depends on how moist the leaves are.)
Easy preparation
- Dry roast the cashews in a pan on medium heat until the nuts are golden but not dark brown.
- In a food processor, grind the garlic and cashews finely.
- Add greens, lemon juice, a tablespoon of olive oil and a dash of salt. Process.
- Turn off the machine and use a spatula to push all the mixture down off the sides.
- Taste. You may want to add just a LITTLE more salt to bring out flavors.
- SLOWLY add a little more olive oil (if needed) until the mixture forms a paste that blends.
Eat and enjoy
We had some wheat and rice udon noodles in the cabinet and decided to try those. They were good, but I prefer whole wheat spaghetti. Any noodle will do, though.
- Take the noodles directly out of boiling water allowing most of the water to drip off. Place them in a large bowl.
- Add pesto and mix. The little bit of starchy water from the pasta helps form the sauce.
- Add a sprinkling of freshly grated Parmesan. You DO NOT need to drown in Parmesan to get flavor.
- Serve!
This pesto is on the tangy side due to the bite of the mustard greens and arugula. It goes well on roasted vegetables or even as a snack on crackers. Remember to go easy on the salt and easy on the cheese. We want flavor from the GREENS!
Mark Gale 
