I am sure that is what you are going to say when I mention shiso again. Seriously, if you had the over-abundance in your yard that I do then, let me tell ya, you’d be talking about it (a whole lot) as well.

Beyond what I was whipping up in my past shiso post, I have continued to experiment with a multitude of beverages, both cocktail and non-cocktail form. Hello shiso, cucumber, lime aqua fresca, which so so quenches the thirst. But gotta say, doesn’t really make a dent in the shiso crop.  Hum, what to do, what to do?

Well my basil crop was for *^%# this season (still trying to figure out why, I mean it loves the heat and is related to the darn shiso and mint) which means no stock-up of basil pesto this season. Oh, but back to what I just said, shiso is related to basil, sooooooo Shiso Pesto! Just a bit of tinkering, and reading what others are doing (yes, I am not the only one in the world that has been taken over by shiso), and I think I have come up with a pretty tasty substitute for the traditional basil pesto.  Great in pasta, which any leftover (pesto pasta) makes a rockin’ frittata the next day, or pretty darn good stirred into veggies or a tomato salad.

Shiso Pesto
2 cups (packed) shiso leaves
1 tablespoon natural almond butter (really liking the Trader Joe’s version with flaxseed)
2-3 oz feta cheese
2 cloves of garlic, optional (I opted for ‘without’ but for those wanting to get closer to ‘traditional’)
pinch of salt and a grind of pepper
1/2 – 3/4 cup olive oil
Whirl everything, except the olive oil, in a food processor (yes, when you have as much shiso to turn into pesto as I do, you forego the mortar and pestle route). When combined start streaming the olive oil in until desired (yours not mine) consistency is achieved.  Store in a sealed jar in the fridge or in ziplocks in the freezer – yep that equals shiso pesto year round.