Greek-style pesto with spearmint and almonds

Spearmint is very popular in Greece and it is used in many dishes as a herb. In some cases spearmint is the ingredient which makes all the difference in the dish. The aroma and the taste are so refreshing, always giving an extra flavour to the recipe. Here we have a nice alternative for pesto which you can use in various dishes

Recipe from "Gastronomos"  magazine of "KATHIMERINI" newspaper

Ingredients (for 4 people):
1 bunch of fresh spearmint, only the leaves
about 100ml of good quality of olive oil
2 tbsp of blanched almonds
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 spring onion, finely chopped (both green and white part)
2 tbsp of spicy Greek Kefalotyri cheese, grated (or other type of hard and salty cheese)
salt
pepper

Method:
In a non-stick frying pan warm 1 tbsp of the oil in medium heat and sauté the spring onion until it gets soft. Add the almonds and sauté, while stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until they get nicely golden. Add the garlic and sauté for up to 1 more minute, making sure that they won't get browned.

Empty the ingredients into a bowl and leave on the side to cool completely.

Put in a blender the spearmint, the almond mixture, the rest of the oil, the cheese, salt and pepper. Pulp the ingredients until they become a smooth paste. If neccessary, add a bit of extra olive oil to help the blades to turn easier.

You can use this pesto for pasta or rice, to give extra flavour in dishes like shallow-fried chicken or pork bites or even as a spread on toasted country style bread