Pumpkin and Sunflower Seeds Pesto

A controversial Y.U.M.! The complexity and structure of taste of this pesto is something absolutely unique... All these ingredients vibrate on your tongue in a constant repeating rhythm leaving a nice warm aftertaste. It's definitely a dish of distinguishing notes but blended in a perfect harmony where one note comes after another... However, I recommend it to people that have endlessly adventurous taste-buds - my flatmates didn't go crazy over it as I did... ;) And I'll skip ginger next time I prepare it - nutmeg is enough. It is not my recipe; it comes from this blog but it 's something that I'd like to pass on... :)

When I told my flatmate about the unusual pumpkin recipe I found, her reaction was: "Then what exactly the whole idea of pesto is about?". So I did my homework... The two types of pesto the vast majority of us is familiar with are:  pesto genovese (basil, pine nuts, parmigiano/pecorino cheese, olive oil, garlic) and pesto alla siciliana/pesto rosso (with sun-dried tomatoes replacing a big part of basil and almonds instead of pine nuts). Accoding to Wiki, the contemporary version of pesto comes from a paste called moretum that was eaten by the ancient Romans - it was made from herbs, garlic and crushed cheese. The name "pesto" originates from the Italian: "pestare" which means "to pound/crush", in reference to the original method of preparation with mortar and pestle. Nowadays usually all the ingredients are ground together in a food processor which is not a good idea if we have to deal with fresh herbs - pounding them in a mortar is essential because only then we can bring out their oils, while food processing is all about mincing the leaves - it's something that I learned from a chef I met in Bali. Modern incarnation of pesto is commonly used on pasta, potatoes, toasts or even meat.

INGREDIENTS   &   METHOD

Serves 3 greedy ones

• 250g baked pumpkin
• 1 glass ground parmigiano (I used pecorino)
• 1/2 glass nuts or seeds of your choice (I used sunflower seeds)
• 2 tbsp virgine olive oil
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

1. Blend all the ingredients in a food processor... :)

It tastes best when it's warmed up so the parmigiano/pecorino has the opportunity to develop its taste. I ate it with simple spaghetti, sprinkled with chopped baked chestnuts (provided a nice sweet twist) and a handful of parsley that I adore. Voila! :)