Lovage Pesto

Grow, harvest and enjoy the herb, lovage, as pesto served on grilled fish, burgers and salads.

For many, lovage is a new plant. It’s a perennial that looks like celery on steroids, growing 5 feet tall. The stems and leaves are edible and taste like celery with a hint of parsley and are used for flavoring soups and stews. I have always used the hollow stems for sipping tomato juice or Bloody Mary’s.

Recently some friends introduced me to a new use for this herb – pesto. Even if you are not a fan of pesto, give this a try on grilled fish, burgers and more.

Check the internet for recipes. I enjoyed a variation of Ken Kohl’s recipe posted on the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel website, jsonline.com. Mix several cups of lovage leaves with parmesan cheese, minced garlic, lemon juice, and salt, mince in food processor. Then simply add olive oil.

A bit more information: Use the pesto right away or store extra in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you need more time to enjoy, freeze pesto in ice cube trays to enjoy later. Pop the lovage pesto cubes out of the tray and store in freezer bags or containers for several months.