Pesto Tuna & Garbanzo Bean Salad
Written by Amani Ali The sauce that we call pesto usually refers to pesto genovese, an herbaceous sauce from Northern Italy that includes basil, garlic, olive oil, parmesan, and pine nuts. Chef Sarah’s version packs in more greens and a different form of crunch. The ingredients are spinach, kale, scallions, pumpkin seeds, almonds, sea salt, olive oil, basil, Thai basil, cilantro and garlic. CSG pesto can be purchased frozen from her stall at the Ferry Building om Saturdays.
Recipe
This Mediterranian-inspired flavor revolution makes a great lunch or contribution to a potluck. There’s no heating required and it comes together in just 5 minutes.
2 cans tuna in water (do not drain)
2 cans garbanzo beans (drained)
½ cup Chef Sarah Germany Pesto
½ cup marinated artichokes
1 tbsp lemon juice, or to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Open the cans. Drain the beans but do not drain the tuna.
Combine all ingredients.
Season with salt and pepper. Adjust the amount of lemon juice to your taste.
This dish tastes great served immediately but becomes more flavorful after a few hours in the fridge. I was surprised to see the garbanzo beans nearly double in size. They will plump up from the liquid, giving them a creamier texture and increasing your yield. If you want to make this dish heartier, serve it with toasted bread with olive oil.
Pesto Tuna Garbanzo Bean Salad
Nutrition Nook: Basil
Basil is native to India but varieties of it are grown worldwide due to cultivation. Basil is sensitive to cold and is best kept at room temperature. Trim the stems and store them in water after buying or harvesting.
Are you a part of the flavor revolution? Show us your creation on Instagram or send us an email: info @ chefsarahgermany.com.