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Writer's pictureSara Raztresen

Rustic Oregano & Walnut Pesto Made Magic

Updated: May 28, 2022

My favorite thing to do when the herbs in the garden are growing like crazy!

Pesto, Oregano, Walnut, Homemade, Fresh Herbs, Summer, Rustic, Italian, Easy Recipes, One Pot


It's that time of year again!


In my area, it seems that summer came a little early. It was unbearably hot today (and I just so happened to pick today to set up my garden). However, for all the sweat and dirt I saw today, and the nasty sunburn on my arms, there's one thing that makes it better: fresh herbs!


My oregano is growing big—so big that, if I don't want it to become a leggy mess, I need to prune it now. There are a lot of things to do with harvested oregano, especially when it comes to spell work: maybe making a friendship sachet with it, or burning it in a ritual to attract joy. But you might also combine its powers of love and joy with a couple other key players—namely olive and walnut—to get the base of a delicious and incredibly powerful dish instead: pesto!


And no, this is definitely not the kind of pesto that requires a food processor. As the name implies, this is a rustic pesto, because when I first made it, I thought to myself: "surely the Italian nonnas didn't always have some fancy machine hanging around, so what did they do?" Here's the answer: they just chopped things by hand and used only enough olive oil to get the ingredients to combine.


Not enough to turn it into a bright green sauce.


But without further ado, grab yourself some oregano either from your garden or the store, and let's take a look at just what makes this meal so powerful!


Magic in Oregano & Walnut Pesto

The bright, fresh flavor of just-harvested herbs (or just fresh herbs in general), mixed with toasted walnuts, olive oil, and some good Romano cheese, make a meal base that feels so light and refreshing while staying satiating and delicious. That's why I choose to bless this meal with love, joy, abundance, fertility, wish-granting, and protection.


The main planets here, the Sun & Venus, as well as the elements air & fire, allow for you to reinvigorate yourself, dream big and beautiful visions for the future, and feel confident that abundance and good news is coming your way. So go ahead and make a wish—and then dig into a bowl of pesto pasta!


Rustic Oregano & Walnut Pesto


Prep time: 30 minutes (+1hr in fridge)

Cook time: 30 minutes

Makes 20 Cookies


Ingredients:

2 cups

Fresh Oregano Leaves, chopped

1 cup

Walnuts, toasted & chopped

1/2 - 1 cup

Grated Romano

Enough to Mix Ingredients

Olive Oil

1lb

Chicken, cubed

16oz

Pasta of choice

To taste

Salt and pepper


Directions:

  1. Toast walnuts in empty pan.

  2. De-leave and chop oregano.

  3. Mix in a bowl, then shred Romano cheese into it

  4. Add olive oil a little at a time and mix until all is coated

  5. Boil a pot of salted water

  6. Chop and fry chicken in same pan you toasted walnuts in

  7. Boil pasta per package directions

  8. Deglaze chicken with ladle of pasta water and shred in extra cheese if desired

  9. Mix in pasta of choice and stir until combined

There's nothing that says summer like harvesting fresh herbs for your food! Hope you enjoy this quick and easy pesto recipe, which is perfect for those busy nights.

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