The lemon in the sauce is non negotiable. If you have preserved lemon, all the better.
Feel free to toss in more or less cheese. More or less greenery. You could chop the cooked greens by hand - and then mash and stir the other ingredients together, but I used a blender.
For Two
1 bunch Amaranth (all amaranth is edible - in this case it is pigweed) - about 3-4 cups, stripped from stems
1 bunch Galinsoga (quickweed/gallant soldiers) - about 3-4 cups, stripped from stems
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
2 raw garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 cups finely rasped parmesan (measure after rasping or grating)
2 tablespoons sweet butter
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt
Pepper
After washing and picking the leaves from any tough stems, wilt the wet green vegetables in a wide saucepan (cover the pan to help them to steam). Stir a couple of times. When they have collapsed, add the lemon juice, and stir. Remove from heat.
In a blender combine all the other ingredients and top with the cooled greens. Pulse, stopping often to push down the ingredients. When smooth tip the sauce out into a bowl. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper.
Cook a batch of pasta - I am partial to egg yolk tagliatelle, brittle and tender, and it cooks fast. When just cooked, drain the pasta, return it to the hot, empty pot, and mix gently with the bowlful of green weed pesto.
Serve at once, with extra cheese. And pepper.
Wow. I was looking for something to start using our first batch of preserved Meyer lemons from this winter, and we had a glut of varied greens (mizuna, taotsi, spinach) from our csa that were fading fast, plus some garlic scapes. A modified version of this ticked all the boxes and was delicious. Foraging from the fridge is still foraging, isn't it?
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