The parsley is what gives the mint pesto its bright green color (just like in our creamy pesto sauce recipe) and it will stay the same beautiful color for days. How long does mint pesto last? This pesto recipe will keep well for 3-4 days in a jar in your fridge.
You can serve this mint pesto alongside or on top of chicken or poached or grilled fish, such as cod, bass, or halibut; as a condiment in cold-cut sandwiches; or with roasted or grilled lamb or beef. In a food processor, combine mint and almonds; process until finely chopped. With motor running, gradually pour oil through the feed tube.
Add the pine nuts and grind them to a paste. Stir in the cheese, then enough of the olive oil to give the pesto a creamy consistency. Combine the basil, salt and garlic in the blender jar, add 2 tablespoons of the oil and blend at low speed, stopping frequently to press the basil down around the blades, until the basil forms a coarse paste.
The boiling water kills the browning enzymes that quickly cause the leaves—and the resulting pesto—to turn a drab olive color. A trace amount of the flavor leeches out in the process, but this is also what makes the mint mellow instead of overpowering. Plus, we eat with our eyes, so I vote for blanching.