Recipe for a Pesto with a Provencal Twist Pistou de Roquette

This recipe is a Provencal variation on traditional Italian basil pesto, without the cheese. The rocket (arugula), in place of basil, gives the pistou de roquette a fresh, tangy taste. This sauce is super quick to make and extremely versatile. Toss some pistou on just-cooked (and still hot) pasta. Or use this tasty sauce in place of a vinaigrette on some market fresh tomatoes and goat cheese. This arugula pesto variation is sure to become your “go-to” condiment for grilled fish, barbecued meats and much more.

Pistou de Roquette

This is a quick sauce to make. You can use as a dressing, a pasta sauce or a topping for just about any protein.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings 4 People

Ingredients

  

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• 3 cups arugula (rocket)
• 2 cloves garlic peeled
• 50 g (1/3 cup) Parmesan cheese freshly grated
• 50 g (1/3 cup) powdered almonds
• Fresh Ground Pepper
• 4 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

 

• Put all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth.

Notes

This recipe makes a wonderful pungent dressing on tomato salad and an even better pasta sauce.

Note: Don't heat the pistou (it will become bitter) - just stir into hot pasta.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Barbara Schuerenberg

Barbara Schuerenberg says, “I always joke that I learned to cook out of self-defence as our mother was a terrible cook.” Clearly, she was successful in that pursuit as she ran a cooking school called Cuisine de Provence (closed in 2020) in Vaison la Romaine. Look for "Tastes of Provence" from Barbara's kitchen in our recipes section.