I am going to start by saying this is the most flavorful and delicious pesto I have ever tasted. The fresh shiso leaves give this pesto a unique and earthy taste. What is a Shiso leaf?  You may be wondering. Shiso originally hailing from China as a medicinal herb, made its way over to Japan in the 8th century. Japan considers it to be one of the seven main flavors of Japanese cuisine. It is a cousin of mint and basil although it does not really taste like mint. It lends itself more to a basil meets cinnamon meets citrus flavor palate. A very refined taste.  In the US, the jagged-edged heart shaped leaf is often found served as a garnish with sushi. Does it ring a bell now? It can be sourced at farmer’s markets and asian markets and may also be labeled perilla. The leaves come in green, red and purple and contain iron, calcium, vitamin A and anti-oxidants that are immune boosting and can treat allergies, asthma and eczema. In Japan and other Asian countries the leaves are steeped in hot water for a nourishing tea to help fight colds.

I am such a pesto person and experimented with this shiso version. I ran out of shiso leaves and had some arugula on hand and it paired well with it’s bit of spice. I also wanted it to be dairy-free. The combo of the pine nuts, nutritional yeast flakes and the white miso paste gave the pesto a cheesy, creamy and salty experience, I so love with dairy-full pestos. I have been enjoying this pesto on angel hair millet noodles or serve it over Cappello’s (hyperlink) almond pasta, or other low carb or grain-free noodles or over grilled vegetables or fish or use it as a dip. I am really excited to share this recipe with you.

Makes about 1 cup pesto / Prep time 10 minutes / Cook time 5 minutes / Total time 15 minutes 

Gather

1/2 cup / 70 g pine nuts

1 cup/ about 30 grams packed arugula leaves

1 cup/ 20-25 leaves/ about 30 grams packed Shiso leaves

1 tablespoon / 17.07 g yeast flakes

2 teaspoons / 11.8 gramswhite miso paste

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon / 14.79 ml lemon juice

1 scant cup/ about 175 ml olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Make

Place the pine nuts into a medium sauté pan and toast over a medium flames, for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

In a small food processor bowl if possible, place arugula, shiso leaves, yeast flakes and pine nuts and then pulse for 2 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides if necessary.

Then add the garlic and miso paste and run for 1 minute. Stop the motor and then add the lemon juice and olive oil and process for 1 more minutes. Scrape down the sides again. Salt and pepper to taste. You want a smooth paste but with a little bit of texture.

Recipe developed by Anna Getty of Amalgam Kitchen.

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