Weed Infused Pesto Mortar and Pestle Recipe

Benefits of Making Weed Infused Pesto at Home

Making Weed Infused Pesto at home using a mortar and pestle is a great way to use the excess basil from your garden or the farmers market. It is also a great way to show off your cooking skills, flair, and creativity in the kitchen.

Weed Infused Pesto makes for a beautiful gift, and who doesn’t appreciate something handmade? Just remember to label it correctly.

Another benefit is that you get to choose the ingredients and have complete control over the dosage. We like adding non-traditional ingredients such as chili and a splash of freshly squeezed lemon juice before serving, but that is entirely up to you.

Including Weed into your daily diet is an easy way to incorporate the extended benefits of Cannabis into your healthy lifestyle.

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Related

Effortless Weed Infused Olive Oil Recipe 2022

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Authentic Basil Pesto Recipe

Pesto is undoubtedly one of the most popular Italian sauces and is made with few good quality ingredients, like many best Italian recipes.

The most authentic pesto recipe calls for fresh basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan. Our favorite authentic recipe has to be that of Antonio Carluccio’s, An Invitation to Italian Cooking, Pesto Sauce recipe. It is simple, yet packed with flavor, and he provides sound advice.

Many creative and daring cooks use this recipe as a guideline and include sun-dried tomatoes, various fresh herbs, and a variety of nuts and spices. Some purists may frown upon this adaptation, and others may applaud it.

Our Weed Infused Pesto recipe bases its foundations on an authentic basil pesto recipe, with the addition of Weed for added health benefits and some chili and lemon juice delivering a fresher end product.

Weed Infused Mortar and Pestle Pesto Recipe

This deliciously fragrant Weed Infused pesto recipe is very versatile and comes together in no time. We recommend using a Mortar and Pestle for the best texture, but feel free to use a food processor or hand blender. This pesto recipe is great spooned into soups, tossed in pasta, and my all-time favorite, a tomato and brie tart.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 25 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course Sauce

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8 oz

Calories 163 kcal

Equipment

• Kitchen Scale
• Measuring Cup
• Pestle and mortar food processor or hand blender
• 1 Sterilized mason jar 8 fluid oz size

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 Garlic cloves
• 30 g Cashew nuts ¼ cup, see recipe notes for substitutions
• 2 cups Fresh basil leaves about 50g
• ⅔ cup Fresh parsley leaves about 20g, this can be replaced with basil
• ½ cup Cannabis leaves optional
• Chili optional; finely chopped, to taste
• ½ cup Weed infused olive oil ⅓ - ½ cup
• ½ cup Finely grated parmesan cheese about 50g

Instructions

 

Mortar and Pestle Method

• Start by breaking down the garlic in the mortar and pestle, add a pinch of salt to provide extra texture.
  
• Next, add the cashews and start to grind
  
• Once a coarse paste starts to form, add the basil, parsley, and fresh Cannabis leaves if you have. Add the chili if using.
  
• Slowly drizzle in the Weed infused olive oil as needed. You may not need ½ cup of oil.
  
• Once the paste is to your desired consistency, stir in the parmesan. The texture should remain coarse and semi-liquid
  
• Season to taste. If we intend to store the pesto for later use, spoon it in a sterilized mason jar. Top with a little oil to cover the pesto.
• If you are using your pesto directly after preparing it, I suggest adding a squeeze of lemon juice for added flavor and to balance out the richness.

  You may omit this step.
  

Food Processor Method

• Place the cashew nuts, garlic, and salt in the food processor and give it a quick pulse. Add the basil leaves, parsley, and fresh Cannabis leaves. Pulse for a few more seconds until the leaves are slightly broken down but still coarse.
• Slowly start adding the Weed infused olive oil until you reach your desired consistency. Do not over blend, the texture should coarse and semi liquid.
• Season to taste and add lemon juice (optional) if you are using the pesto right away. The added acid gives it a great lift and cuts against the richness of the sauce.

Notes

Pro Tips:

You can replace or mix the cashews with other nuts such as pinenuts, pistachios, or sunflower seeds. 

Use a sterilized mason jar to prevent the pesto from fermenting.  Top the pesto with olive oil to keep it preserved and always use a clean utensil in the jar. 

Using a pestle and mortar gives a coarser result and will take some elbow grease, but the end result is well worth it. 

Do not add the lemon juice if you intend to store the pesto.  It will discover and turn brown. 

The pesto will keep in the fridge for 5 days, and may be extended if using a sterilized jar, topped with oil.  You can also freeze the pesto for later use.  Note that the color will brown and darken. 

Nutrition

Serving: 2tbspCalories: 163kcal

Keyword Cannabis, Cannabis Oil, Weed Oil, Weed Pesto

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

How To Use Basil Pesto

Weed Infused Pesto is a very versatile sauce. The pesto sauce happily plays the main lead, stirred through piping hot pasta, or take a backseat on your favorite grilled cheese.

Our top picks for using Weed infused pesto include:

• tossed through hot pasta such as Trofie, Fusilli or Capellini

• stirred through minestrone and other soup

• as part of an Italian antipasto platter

• grilled Caprese sandwich

• vinaigrette

• pasta salad

• stirred through roasted vegetables

What are the Best Ways to Make Weed Infused Pesto Mortar and Pestle Pasta?

Start by making your pesto. You can do this a couple of days in advance and kept in the fridge in an airtight container or jar, topped with oil to eliminate oxidization. Bring your Weed infused basil pesto to room temperature before tossing it into your piping hot pasta if you make the pesto in advance.

Choosing the right pasta is vital when making any pasta dish. We prefer short, thin pasta such as Trofie or Fusilli as the pesto holds onto the pasta beautifully. If you prefer longer, thinner shapes, try Trenette or Spaghetti.

Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain the pasta and gently toss through the pesto sauce, adding a little pasta water. If you forgot to remove the pesto from the fridge, simply warm it slightly in a saucepan before mixing the pasta.

Serve with fresh basil leaves and freshly grated parmesan

Why Are Pine Nuts So Expensive?

Four key factors contribute to pine nuts being so expensive. The first is their natural habitat, the second is harvesting, the third labor, and lastly, like most nuts, it takes lots of time.

1. Pine nuts are primarily found in the forests of their native countries, including Russia, China, Pakistan, and North Korea. Pine nut trees are rarely planted exclusively for nut production.

2. Harvesting the nuts is dangerous and requires an experienced workforce.

3. Extracting the nuts is very labor-intensive and drives the price even further.

4. Pine trees can take between 10 and 20 years to mature, produce and become fully productive.

We have developed our recipe using cashew nuts (although also becoming increasingly expensive) for these reasons, but feel free to swap and make a combination of nuts that works for you and your budget.

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