I highly recommend buying Heidi's recent cookbook Super Natural Cooking, as this is just one of many terrific recipes I have gleaned from it. It is a gorgeous book with incredible photos and a clear, easy-to-follow vibe. It has a wealth of useful and interesting info on the health value of different natural foods, which I have really enjoyed reading and learning about.



I have made the asparagus pesto a few times now, so no longer need to refer to the recipe, and probably have, over the course of time, simplified it subconsciously. It's also fantastic as a pizza sauce- which is how Heidi first introduced it to us- just top the pizza with the pesto, some fresh ricotta and/or mozzarella, and you're good to go!

Proportions don't have to be specific and measured, at least not in my world. It will come out nicely even if you have more or less of something. Just work on getting a good, creamy, pesto-y texture and make sure it's well-seasoned and you can't really go wrong.

Heidi-inspired Asparagus Pesto

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed
• a couple handfuls of spinach or baby spinach leaves
• couple cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
• a handful of pine nuts
• a couple handfuls shaved or grated parmigiano or romano cheese
• juice of 1 lemon
• good quality olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste

Method:

• Cook the asparagus in salted boiling water for about 3 minutes, until tender and bright green. Drain.
• In a food processor, put garlic, asparagus, spinach, and pine nuts and pulse a few times to combine. Add a glug or 2 of olive oil and pulse 5-10 more times, so the spinach and asparagus start to get broken up.
• Add the cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Turn on the food processor and start drizzling oil into the mixture while it's processing.
• When it gets to looking like pesto- it should be just barely pourable, not dry and not oily- turn off the processor, taste and adjust seasoning.
• If you are not using it within an hour or so, put it in a jar and pour a thin layer of oil over the top to preserve the freshness and color.