Jalapeño and Cilantro Pesto with Smokin' Chipotle

Who doesn't love pesto? We decided to make a little change to the classic recipe and use some fire-roasted jalapeños with cilantro and our Smokin' Chipotle seasoning blend! We are sure glad we did because this was one amazing pesto. We used this cilantro pesto recipe with various delicious meals such as on this chicken salad, or with eggs for breakfast, tossed with some pasta for an amazing dinner, on a rib-eye like a chimichuri sauce, rubbed on chicken wings then grilled them up, and even mixed some in ground turkey for the best turkey burger we have ever tried.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Teaspoon  Smokin' Chipotle seasoning blend
1 Cup cilantro leaves, stems removed
½ Cup Flat-leaf parsley leaves, stems removed
¼ Cup pine nuts or walnuts, toasted
½ Cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
1 Medium clove of garlic
6 Jalapeños, roasted, skin removed and seeded (leave in seeds if you want it really spicy)
½ - ¾ Cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS: 

Here are the ingredients that you will need to make this fantastic jalapeño and cilantro pesto recipe.

If you have a gas grill, or stove, this recipe is quick to make. If you don't have a gas grill or stove top, you can always roast the jalapeños in your oven on high. Just put them in your oven at 450 degrees and let them roast for 15 minutes or so, turning them every few minutes. It's okay if they burn - that's the point!

Roast the jalapeños directly on your gas stove top, or on your grill, until they are charred on all sides - like pictured above. Place the jalapeños in a large bowl, cover them, then set aside for 10-15 minutes. The bowl will steam the skins and make it really easy to pull the charred skin off the flesh of the peppers.

While the jalapeños are cooking, then cooling, start to prep the cilantro and parsley. This part takes the longest because you need to pull the leaves from the stem and pack them into 1 cup. Take your time to do this and you'll be rewarded. Sure, you can use the stems but they are a bit bitter and you'll notice it in the finished pesto. Make sure to pack 1 cup of cilantro and ½ cup of parsley. You want a lot of both! 

Toast the pine nuts or walnuts for a couple minutes over high heat in small saute pan. Be careful not to burn them. Once they start to brown, they will burn quickly so keep an eye on them.

By now the jalapeños should be cooled to touch. We prefer to turn on the faucet with cold water and gently peal away the charred skin. After you have rinsed all 6 jalapeños, cut them in half and scrape out the seeds. If you like really spicy food, skip this step and just put them in your food processor.

Place all ingredients except for the chipotle seasoning and oil in your food processor or blender. Pulse until everything is mixed well.

Then add Smokin Chipotle seasoning to the mixture.

Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the processor while it's running. Viola - roasted jalapeño and cilantro pesto!  

Enjoy! Remember to use this on EVERYTHING you eat! It's that good.