Broccoli Pesto & The Apricot Debate
Even though next week kicks off “Operation Homemade,” I seem to be doing a good amount of cooking this week.
I picked up a gigantic bag of broccoli this week and have been brainstorming about how to eat it all. Our basil plant has been growing like crazy lately, so I decided to make Broccoli Pesto. I kind of have a thing for pesto Here’s the formula I came up with:
Betsy’s Broccoli Pesto
2 – 3 cups steamed broccoli (I didn’t measure)
1/4 C fresh basil leaves
2 cloves of garlic
small handful of walnuts
1/2 C Parmesan flakes
Combine all of these ingredients in a food processor, then drizzle in…
1/2 C olive oil (good quality) – this may vary depending on how much you steam your broccoli
Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
The broccoli started to sweat as it steamed away…
And here’s one of the cornerstone ingredients of any pesto: really good Parmesan cheese. I bought flakes because I love the texture.
Everything’s ready to go in the food processor… all that’s missing is the steamed broccoli which was dumped on top.
And the finished product below. Just like regular pesto only slightly more chunky. The amount of time you steam the broccoli will affect the texture – I didn’t let mine get too mushy.
We served it with some whole wheat linguine for a nice, easy dinner.
A great way to get your greens… the broccoli was virtually undetectable.
Now on to a little debate I’ve been having, mostly with myself.
I love apricots, and this past weekend I decided to buy some. I bought a container of Turkish apricots because that’s all I could find and I assumed they tasted the same as the regular ones. Upon first bite I thought they were pretty similar to their orange counterparts, but after a few more chews I realized I do NOT care for Turkish apricots. Blech!
After a bit of Google research I couldn’t come up with any definitive differences between Turkish and regular (Californian) apricots except for their color and geographical roots. Maybe that’s all I need to know?
Joe tried them both and said I was crazy – he couldn’t tell a difference. To me, the darker ones taste really musty and dusty (weird, I know).
Do you all have any more insight to offer on the apricot debate? Or does anyone LOVE Turkish apricots and want a free bag? 
I’ll leave you with this darling card my BFF Sara sent me for my birthday. I love what it says…
Isn’t it a nice coincidence that you and I are both alive at the same time?
Why yes, yes it is.
*You may notice some changes on our header – I took down the Recipes page and added a “Best Of” tab. I compiled a couple lists of our favorite and most memorable posts from 2009 to give newcomers a better idea of us and our blog.
I’m working on refurbishing my recipes page and compiling my homegrown recipes and ideas so that will be back up in the near future!
I am literally eating a Turkish apricot as I read this . . . too funny. I love them! The other kind taste artificial to me somehow, less like real apricots. It may be all in my head though.
LOVE the idea of broccoli pesto!!
i love the idea of the broccoli pesto.
I don’t think I’ve ever tried a turkish apricot! In fact, I don’t even know if i’ve ever seen them before.
I love the pesto.
What a great idea to mix some broccoli in there, especially since it’s my favorite veggie.
I love apricots but have never tried the turkish variety although I will look out for them now, just to see if I can taste a difference.
I have a HUGE bag of broc. Pesto coming soon!
First of all, I’m totally proposing your pesto as our dinner tonight. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
Second, I agree with you 100% about the Turkish apricots. I definitely taste the musty flavor too!
girl, i’m making this to put on chicken tonight! Awesome! Thank you!
Oh, my husband HATES Turkish apricots. Once back in college he accidentally grabbed a bag of Turkish apricots as a snack – haha bad idea, he thought they were awful.
oh, that looks yummy. You have just given me another way to enjoy my linguine later this week. I will be trying this recipe for the pesto. Thanks Betsy
I am totally bookmarking your pesto recipe! I love that it is light and sneaks in greens, whereas traditional pesto is so much oilier.
That’s genius! I actually hate broccoli, but I know I should eat it…
To me it looks like the Californian apricot has been preserved with a sulphur compound to maintain it’s color, while the Turkish one has not. But maybe there’s more to it than that?
Mmm … love the looks of your broccoli pesto! I may have to try that sometime.
I just have to say that I absolutely adore that card. Would you happen to know where she got it?
Otherwise, the broccoli pesto is genius and sounds delicious… and I have no idea about apricots, I’m personally not a big fan.
Those Turkish apricots look unsulfured to me, which is probably the difference. An apricot as plump and bright orange as the one on the right almost certainly has sulfur dioxide in it as a preservative. I have family members who are allergic to it, so I learned to like my dried fruit unsulfured.
Perhaps you have a delicate and sensitive palette – for apricots at least.
I adore Turkish apricots. I buy them from the Whole Foods bulk bins and I find them to be sweeter and have a smooshier texture.
But, I also adore the California apricots too. I really like the California apricots for cooking. Yum!
broccolie pesto is such a fantastic idea!
Gorgeous broccoli pesto!
In terms of the apricot debate, it is my understanding that the bright orange dried variety have been treated with the chemical sulfur dioxide to retain their color. The brown dried apricots do not contain any additives or preservatives. It took me a little while to get there, but I actually prefer the all-natural ones better now!
I love pesto and your rendition of broccoli pesto looks fantastic!!
That pesto looks amazing and sounds like it would be really easy to make!
Have a great day, BTW I got my jeans last week and love them. Thanks again, for the millionth time!
betsy i ate a turkish apricot yesterday since we have a bag in my house. and you know what? you are right! they are NOT as tasty. simple as that. seem to be less soft and gushy than those bright orange ones.
Lovely recipe! Lovely photos! I was wondering what type of camera you used? Thanks!
Mmm I LOVE pesto and love that this uses broccoli and not a lot of basil, since I don’t grow my own basil and it’s expensive. I’ve made pesto with spinach and just a bit of basil and I love how you can’t really tell there’s spinach in there.
I found your website on Yahoo and i like your content.