Warrigal Greens & Macadamia Nut Pesto

Acknowledgment: this a recipe was published in The Garigal magazine, an indigenous publication, and shared by Clarence Slockee, Royal Botanical Gardens and presenter on Gardening Australia.

Ingredients

  • 50g macadamia nuts (raw, roasted or salted)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic (or more!)
  • 250g warrigal greens, blanched
  • 125-250ml olive oil or less
  • 100g parmesan cheese
  • finely grated salt and pepper to taste (try native pepper berries as a substitute for pepper).

Method

  • Prepare the warrigal greens: use the first 4-5 leaves from the growing tip, omitting the stalk as it can be stringy. Wash the leaves, then blanch in boiling water for a few minutes (this is important to get rid of the oxalic acid, which is present in all raw spinaches)
  • Drain the blanched leaves and allow to cool. You can gently squeeze the excess water out of the leaves then un-scrunch them a bit
  • Using a good blender, blend the Warrigal greens with the nuts and garlic. Slowly add the oil, then the cheese and, if you wish, salt and pepper.
  • Serve cold as a dip with raw veggies sticks, on rice crackers or hot on pasta, yum! Enjoy!