I mean who could say no to creamy homemade hazelnut pesto made from fragrant roasted hazelnuts? The robust flavor of the roasted hazelnuts gets a nice brightness from the lemon zest and lemon juice, and when whirled together with a generous glug of olive oil and a large handful of flat-leaf parsley and peppery arugula, plus a little parmesan, not to mention garlic, the pesto comes together as a well-rounded sauce that is brimming with flavor and texture. The aroma of the roasted hazelnuts alone is amazing!
I love pesto, in all its forms. So tasty, so versatile and so easy to make at home. It’s amazing. Having pesto on hand is perfect for throwing together a quick meal. It keeps for 3-4 days in the fridge, some say longer as long as it has a thin layer of olive oil on top – I usually make sure I have enough left to throw in the freezer for the next time and other times I just go on a pesto binge and devour it.
Perfect served on a tomato-mozzarella sandwich, as a topping for crostini, tossed together with giant white beans or boiled new potatoes, and of course as sauce for pasta. And I’m willing to bet it tastes great as a pesto crust for chicken or a nice firm white fish. I’ll definitely have to try the latter!
If you are going to make this pesto as a sauce for pasta, reserve about 1/2 a cup (125 ml) of the pasta’s cooking liquid so you can add a little bit at a time to the pasta when you toss it with the pesto. This will help the pesto loosen up a bit and help create more of a sauce-like consistency.
Hazelnut Pesto
Ingredients
- 1 cup hazelnuts, lightly roasted and skinned (130 g)
- 1 bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, stemmed
- handful arugula leaves (35 g)
- 1 large clove of garlic, roughly chopped
- zest and juice of 1 organic lemon, about 2 tablespoons
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan (30 g)
- enough olive oil to achieve proper consistency, about 1/2 cup or more
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
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Preheat oven to 350° F / 180°C.
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On a baking sheet toast hazelnuts in one layer in middle of oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden and skins are blistered. Wrap the hazelnuts in a clean kitchen towel and vigorously rub the towel around them to remove the loose skins (it’s fine if some skins don't come off). Set aside to cool.
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Put all the ingredients for the pesto in a food processor and blend until it becomes a smooth-ish paste. The pesto should still have a good amount of texture from the hazelnuts.
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If the mixture is too sturdy, add more olive oil, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing briefly after each addition until the pesto reaches the desired consistency.
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