Tomato Tartine with Pumpkin Seed Pesto
At Home Plate with the Phillies' Brad and Lindsay Lidge
Recipe: Tomato Tartine with Pumpkin Seed Pesto
Recipe: Tomato Tartine with Pumpkin Seed Pesto
As summer winds down and we say goodbye to warm weather crops, I thought I'd share one of our favorite classic summer combos -- tomato and basil, with a twist.In this tomato-pesto tartine, nutritious pumpkins seeds are used in place of pine nuts and lime gives an unexpected kick. I found this pesto recipe in an inspiring and gorgeous book called Tassajara Cookbook by Karla Oliveira. I added a little more olive oil and lime than the recipe called for to get the right consistency for spreading.
This pesto can be used lots of ways other than just tossed with pasta. I use it as a sandwich spread here, but a spoonful dropped on endive or radicchio leaves also makes a elegant appetizer, or and it is a fabulous addition to fajitas or tacos if you switch out cilantro for basil. It's so versatile I like to double the pesto recipe and freeze half to use anytime.
-- Lindsay Lidge
Tomato Tartine with Pumpkin Seed Pesto
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup basil, packed
5 tablespoons lime juice
3 cloves garlic
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to season
Good quality bread
Local, ripe tomatoes
In a dry skillet lightly toast pumpkin seeds over medium heat. Grind toasted seeds in a food processor just until they stick to the walls of the food processor. Add basil, lime juice and garlic and blend, slowly streaming in olive oil until the pesto is smooth and spreadable. Season with salt and pepper.
Slice bread, spread with pesto and top with tomatoes. Make sure you season the tomatoes with a little additional salt and pepper. I added a few basil flowers from the big bunch of basil I got at the market. Beautiful and delish!
Little Kid Tip: Little mouths like little bites! I cut the bread and tomatoes really thin and assemble. I love tartines, but I find it's easiest for our kids to eat these when they have bread on both the top and bottom. Cut the sandwiches into tiny diamonds like tea sandwiches. You can even stick in a frilly toothpick to dress them up even more; our daughter Avery loves this trick.
Tomato Tartine with Pumpkin Seed Pesto
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup basil, packed
5 tablespoons lime juice
3 cloves garlic
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and ground black pepper, to season
Good quality bread
Local, ripe tomatoes
In a dry skillet lightly toast pumpkin seeds over medium heat. Grind toasted seeds in a food processor just until they stick to the walls of the food processor. Add basil, lime juice and garlic and blend, slowly streaming in olive oil until the pesto is smooth and spreadable. Season with salt and pepper.
Slice bread, spread with pesto and top with tomatoes. Make sure you season the tomatoes with a little additional salt and pepper. I added a few basil flowers from the big bunch of basil I got at the market. Beautiful and delish!
Little Kid Tip: Little mouths like little bites! I cut the bread and tomatoes really thin and assemble. I love tartines, but I find it's easiest for our kids to eat these when they have bread on both the top and bottom. Cut the sandwiches into tiny diamonds like tea sandwiches. You can even stick in a frilly toothpick to dress them up even more; our daughter Avery loves this trick.
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