I once co-hosted a Slow Food banquet in Bristol with chef Giorgio Locatelli and Dan Saladino from the Radio 4 Food Programme, to celebrate the extraordinary heritage fruits, vegetables, animal breeds and food products listed in Slow Food’s Ark of Taste, many of which are at risk of extinction. This is a global Slow Food initiative to record and protect traditional and indigenous foods, from the black salt of Boke, Ethiopia, to the Tamworth pig, which I served from nose to tail as a main course at the banquet. Locatelli’s chosen ingredient was the bronte pistachio, which he showcased with the most luxurious tart. Here, I’ve adapted his recipe for a classic basil pesto to use up excess fennel fronds, and used pistachios instead of pine nuts, not only because they’re incredible in pesto but also as nod to that amazing tart.
Fennel frond and bronte pistachio pesto (and an optional shaved fennel salad)
Farmers’ market fennel often comes with an incredible plume of feathery fronds, but even supermarket fennel often has a few sprigs at the top of the bulb. They make the most wonderfully fragrant pesto, and if need be can be bulked out with some of the fennel stalk or other soft herbs (from stem to leaf) such as basil, parsley or coriander.
Locatelli’s pesto recipe focuses on the use of a mortar and pestle, a tool I adore, but I’ve always found it hard to grind leaves to a paste, so I tend to use a blender instead. If you are using a mortar and pestle, start by crushing the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then lightly crush the nuts, then grind in the fennel fronds a bit at a time, before mixing in the grated cheese and oil. Breaking from tradition, I’ve also included lemon at the end to lift the dish and help soften the fennel. The pesto is ready to use straight away, but I prefer to let it rest for a few hours, or even a day, to soften and meld together into a harmonious, glutamate-rich dressing. It can be used like regular pesto, simply tossed through pasta or gnocchi, or spooned over roast vegetables, as well as to marinate meat or to top salads.
For the pesto (makes about 350g, or enough for about 6 servings)
1 garlic clove, peeled
50g shelled bronte pistachios, or another nut or seed, such as pumpkin seeds, walnuts or pine nuts
125g fennel fronds and thin stalks (if need be, make up the weight with some other soft herbs such as parsley, coriander or basil, or even a slice or two of the bulb)
Juice of ½ lemon, plus the finely grated zest if it’s organic and unwaxed
25g pecorino, or parmesan, grated
150ml extra-virgin olive oil
1 pinch sea salt
For the salad
2 fennel bulbs
Extra-virgin olive oil, to taste
Juice of ½ lemon, plus the finely grated zest if it’s organic and unwaxed
Salt and black pepper
Fennel frond and pistachio pesto, to taste (see above and method)
Shaved pecorino, or parmesan, to taste
To make the pesto, put the garlic, nuts, fennel, lemon juice and zest (if using), pecorino, oil and salt in a blender, and pulse to a coarse paste – you’ll probably need to stop the blender and scrape down the sides every now and then. Decant into a clean jar and store in the fridge for up to five days.
To the fennel salad topped with fennel pesto, slice the fennel bulbs very thinly, ideally using a mandoline, then put in a large bowl. Drizzle over a little extra-virgin olive oil, then add the lemon juice and grated zest, if using, a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Scatter over a platter, dot with pesto to taste and finish with pecorino shavings. The salad is lovely eaten immediately, but it holds up surprisingly well to waiting a while.
