Almost every time I share a recipe that includes culantro, the recipient thinks it’s a typo. It’s also called recao, and it tastes strikingly like a blend between parsley and cilantro. I love it and have started to use it instead of cilantro in soups, stews, and braised meats. Here’s my take on pesto using this versatile herb. It’s great in chicken salad and on pizza or pasta.

Ingredients

　　2 garlic cloves

　　½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　2 tablespoons pine nuts

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　1 cup packed fresh culantro leaves

　　⅓ cup grated Parmesan and/or Pecorino Romano cheese

　　Combine the garlic, salt, pepper to taste, and pine nuts in a food processor. Add the oil and culantro and process until smooth. Add the cheese and pulse to incorporate. Store in an airtight container until ready to use, up to 1 week in the refrigerator or 4 months in the freezer.

　　From Coconuts and Collards: Recipes and Stories from Puerto Rico to the Deep South © 2018 by Von Diaz. Reprinted by permission of the University Press of Florida.Buy the full book from Amazon.