Moderately hot - Horseradish Pesto

There's something about horseradish cream that makes it lift any type of food out of the doldrums.  Any type of savoury food, that is, as I can't imagine horseradish on something sweet (have you tried wasabi ice cream? Ick!)

This recipe is basically an ordinary green pesto with the addition of horseradish cream. You could also use unadulterated horseradish, but being the cream hound that I am, that's what I added, and it's not a bad substitute at all.  The horseradish adds a nice back-of-the tongue heat to the pesto that is very addictive.

Horseradish pesto

makes 1/2 cup

Ingredients

2 cups basil leaves, roughly torn
2 tblsp store-bought horseradish cream
2 tblsp pinenuts, toasted
2 tblsp parmesan, finely grated
sea salt and cracked black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Method
1.  Place the basil, horseradish cream, pinenuts, cheese, salt, pepper and oil in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.

recipe adapted from donna hay (feb/mar 2010)

Just throw everything into a food processor and whiz it.

Serving suggestion 1: Mix the horseradish pesto through cooked pasta, with some torn rocket or spinach leaves.

Serving suggestion 2: Dollop the horseradish pesto on a smoked trout salad - chunks of hot-smoked ocean trout (or salmon), boiled potatoes and green beans.