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Recipes Fresh Herb Pesto Salad

500 grams rotini pasta

Dressing:

  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/8 cup red wine vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 cup cherry tomato halves
  • ½ cup grated feta cheese
  • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • ½ cup chopped fresh sweet basil
  • 1/4 cup chopped purple perilla

Cook the pasta, rinse in cold water, drain and place in salad bowl. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour over the pasta then add the final ingredients. Stir gently until all is mixed.

Chill for two hours before serving. For a zestier salad add some finely chopped garlic to the dressing and use a herbal wine vinegar infused with lemon herbs.

Hibiscus and Lavender Lemonade
Serves well as a punch for summer gatherings.

  • 3 Tbsp fresh lavender flowers
  • 1 Tbsp dried hibiscus flowers
  • 8 cups of prepared lemonade
  • sugar or honey to sweeten

Place the flowers in an average size teapot, fill with boiling water and steep until cool, then strain. Add to the lemonade and sweeten to taste. Serve with a slice of lemon, sprig of fresh lavender, crushed ice and a splash of vodka (optional)! Other herbs that go well with lemonade include lemon balm, mint leaves and rose petals.

Rose Geranium is one herb that imparts a unique flavour to sweets and desserts. The fresh leaves can be added to croissants, biscuits, cakes and fruit salads. Sugared leaves can also be used to garnish wedding cakes and trays of fruit. The flowers of the rose geranium can also be eaten. Another popular culinary geranium is the lemon scented.

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