Summer Sorrel Pesto

I was introduced to sorrel at the Sunday farmer’s market in Dupont Circle. There was a stand with beautiful greens right at the end of the strip, and I always used to try new ones. One time, the vendor handed me a sorrel leaf, and my taste buds were shocked. What was this lemony leaf? I bought a bag and munched on it all day long. Now I buy all my veggies at Machane Yehuda in Jerusalem. Usually I pick up whatever’s on sale. There was a huge (HUGE!) box of what I thought was spinach for just ten shekels, so I took it home. Turns out it was sorrel! Instead of hitting my books, I went straight to the kitchen to prepare a big tub of pesto.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces fresh sorrel
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 4 tablespoons tahini or almond butter
- 1 tablespoon good olive oil
- Zest and juice of 2 medium lemons
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Generous dash of fresh black pepper
- ½ cup walnuts
Preparation
- Wash sorrel and chop or tear into small pieces. Chop garlic roughly. Add spinach, garlic and remaining ingredients except for walnuts to food processor. Pulse until a thick, green puree forms. Once you have a paste, add walnuts and pulse until desired consistency. I like to leave the walnuts a little crunchy for added texture.