Pork and Plantains with Cilantro Pesto

I used to hate cilantro, but I'm becoming much more tolerant of it.  This pesto works really well with the pork and plantains and the cliantro adds a fresh, tasty kick in this interesting dish adapted from Clean Eating magazine.

Plantains were easier to find than I expected.  I thought I might have to go to the Asian grocery store, but my regular supermarket had them in stock right by the bananas.  Plantains are shaped just like bananas but are much firmer and starchier.  They need to be cooked before eating.  

Creamy Avocado Pesto

Yesterday I shared my method for making pesto or pistou.  Today I'll share a magic secret for when you've got avocados on hand but no oil and cheese, or when you want a vegan version of pesto.  Here's all you need:

You can do a lot of variations on this using cilantro and lime, mint and lemon, parsley and lemon... basically any herb and citrus combo you like.  The citrus keeps the avocado nice and green and the rich avocado takes the place of both oil and cheese in traditional pesto. 

Add basil, garlic, lemon (strained juice) and avocado to a small food processor or blender.

Blend until smooth.

Toss with cooked pasta.  I always seem to use linguini with pesto - this one is whole wheat - but you can use any pasta, even gluten-free if you must. 

Use a little pasta water to thin the sauce if necessary.

I served a small portion as a side dish to grilled chicken and grilled zucchini because I wasn't sure we'd like it, but we loved it!

A delicious change from regular pesto and very good for you too!

Pesto/Pistou

One of the pleasures of warm weather is delicious, fresh pesto or pistou.  It is so easy and fresh tasting.  In the summer I have a garden full of fresh basil to use up but in the early spring I can get fresh basil from the grocery store for a quick taste of summer. 

This is actually a basil plant grown in a greenhouse for extra freshness.  Pistou is a version of pesto without pine nuts.  Although this time I did add ground pine nuts to the sauce, I sometimes prefer toasted pine nuts on top of the pasta. 

Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until light golden in colour.  Don't walk away, it won't take long.  

Grind Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano in a small food processor.

Add the basil and garlic cloves to the processor.

Add the pine nuts if desired and once again puree to mix.

Then slowly drizzle in olive oil while the processor is running to create a paste or sauce.

Once it is all mixed together it looks like this:

I like to serve pesto with linguini but any pasta is great.  

Toss the sauce with the cooked pasta and add a little reserved pasta water to thin it if necessary.

Serve on its own or top with grilled chicken and vegetables for a complete meal.