Lots of ingredients can be made into great pesto: basil, of course, as well as arugula, spinach, parsley, carrot greens, and fennel fronds; this one features sorrel and chives, two fast-growing and spreading perennials. Sorrel, while less commonly known, is easy to grow in Ohio and, like chives, is one of the first things to come up in spring and lasts all the way through fall. Sorrel has a tart, lemony flavor, perfect for pesto. Harvest herbs at the end of the season to make a large batch to freeze for quick dinners all winter long. Note: Sorrel comes in many varieties; one is red-veined, which would likely influence the pesto's color.
Cook pasta according to package directions and plan for the pesto to be ready before the pasta is done cooking. Place garlic, nuts, and 1 ounce of the Parmesan cheese in a food processor and pulse until finely minced. Tear chives into 3-inch pieces, add them to the food processor, and pulse again. Add sorrel leaves and pulse again — if the processor struggles to break them apart, scrape sides and rearrange them. Once a finely minced paste is formed, pulse in 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Pulse until smooth, adding more oil to loosen the paste if needed. Taste: If flavor is dull or bitter, adding more lemon juice (or a dash of salt) should do the trick.
Transfer cooked, hot pasta to a large bowl and spoon some pesto on top. With a pair of tongs, mix to generously coat pasta with pesto. Just before serving, add a dash of lemon juice and sprinkle with thinly shredded Parmesan cheese. Refrigerate leftover pesto with a thin layer of olive oil on top to prevent oxidation and use within a week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Per serving: 357 calories, 14 grams fat (3 grams saturated fat), 7 milligrams cholesterol, 129 milligrams sodium, 45 grams total carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 13 grams protein.
