Beetroot leaf pesto

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 400 g leaves of red and/or yellow beetroot
• 3 small garlic cloves
• 120 g Parmesan
• 50 ml lemon juice
• 50 g sunflower seeds or pumpkin or pine nuts
• 200 ml olive oil
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

Beetroot leaves can be used to make a pesto

First, rinse a sufficient number of jars with boiling water and then place them in a hot oven at 120°C for 15 minutes. Then let them cool. Boil the lids in the pot for about 5 minutes. Peel the garlic and place them in a bowl. Wash the beet leaves, remove the stems, and cut them into fairly large pieces. The smaller the pieces, the easier it will be to puree later. Add half of the beet leaves to the garlic. Add a little lemon juice and puree. Then add the remaining leaves and seeds and puree everything finely. Now add the Parmesan cheese, puree, and season with salt and pepper. Tip: You can, of course, add more or less Parmesan cheese and seeds than called for in the recipe – depending on your taste. Finally, add enough olive oil and stir until the mixture reaches the desired consistency. Season to taste. Do not process the olive oil in the blender for too long, as otherwise it risks becoming bitter. Pour the pesto into the prepared jars. This recipe yields approximately 600 ml of pesto. Notes: When refrigerating, the pesto must always be covered with a layer of olive oil, as otherwise it will quickly become moldy. Even if you take some out, be sure to add more olive oil. It will keep longer if you freeze the filled jars. I always freeze them without the lids first and then screw the lids on the jars the next day, once the mixture is frozen. The pesto will keep for several months frozen, but only a few weeks refrigerated.