Erica De Mane

Still Life with Duck Eggs and Herbs, by William Robinson.

Recipe below: Arugula and Chickweed Pesto with Almonds and Gruyère

I never used to be particularly jealous of birds, but now I am. Especially the blue jays that seem to be laughing at our predicament. But in a happier vein, I just ordered a ton of herbs. I can’t start planting for probably another three or four weeks, but I wanted to put in my order ahead, because there are rumors of plant and seed hoarding, and I believe them. Everyone with a yard is going gardening crazy. The nursery I go to sells out in normal times, so I’m not taking chances on my lemon verbena now.

Before my own herbs get going, I satisfy my desire with store-bought ones and wild stuff I pull up in my yard. Chickweed is all over the place now. I love it. It tastes a bit like raw corn (or maybe more like corn silk). That might sound like a weird flavor to put into pesto, but it’s good. Maybe it wouldn’t be good straight, but mixed with arugula it sweetens up in an interesting way, and the Gruyère and butter I’ve uncharacteristically added here give the whole thing richness. If you don’t have any chickweed (but take a look around, you just might—right now mine is popping up with little white flowers), parsley will work well in its place.

I used this pesto on pasta, but it was also good the next day spooned over scrambled eggs. I can also see smearing it on a grilled cheese sandwich or stuffing it under the skin of chicken before grilling.

Arugula and Chickweed Pesto with Almonds and Gruyère

(Makes enough for 1 pound of pasta)

3 big handfuls of baby arugula
1 smaller handful of chickweed (or you can use parsley)
½ cup blanched almonds
1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped
½ cup grated Gruyère cheese
½ cup grated grana Padano cheese
Salt
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Set up a medium-size pot of water, and bring it to a boil.

Put in the arugula and the chickweed or parsley, and blanch then for a minute. Put them in a colander, and run cold water over them to set their color. Drain them well, squeezing out as much water as you can.

Put the almonds in the bowl of a food processor, and grind them well. Add the greens, the garlic, both cheeses, a good amount of salt, and the olive oil, and pulse until it’s all fairly smooth and a nice light green color. Add the butter, and pulse to blend that in. If the pesto seems too dense, add a little more oil.

If you’re using this for pasta, you’ll want to work in a little pasta cooking water while tossing it, to make it creamy.