How to Make Pesto Deviled Eggs

Serves: 8

Preparation time: 35 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients needed to make pesto deviled eggs:

For the pesto:

• Large handful of fresh basil leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 150 gm olive oil
• 50 gm pine nuts
• 50 gm Parmesan cheese

For the deviled eggs:

• 8 large eggs
• 1/3 cup prepared pesto
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• ¼ tsp hot pepper sauce
• 1 tsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• Dash of paprika
• 1 tbsp shallot, minced
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Cooking instructions for pesto deviled eggs:

• To make the pesto sauce, dump the garlic into the food processor and pulse them until minced.
• Add the pine nuts, basil and cheese into the food processor, season with salt as well as pepper and pulse them again until they are properly blended and finely chopped.
• Drizzle olive oil into the pesto mixture in a continuous stream, while the blend is still processed, until all of the oil is incorporated into the pesto.
• Pulse them further into a smooth puree, seal it in an air-tight container and store it in the refrigerator until required.
• To make the deviled eggs, fill a medium saucepan with water until it stands an inch from its base and drop the eggs gently into it.
• Heat them until it is brought to a rolling boil and then turn off the heat.
• Cover and set aside for about 13 minutes.
• Drain off the water and bathe the eggs under a steady stream of cold water to cool them down to room temperature.
• Empty the cup of mayonnaise into a medium mixing bowl and stir in the pesto, hot pepper sauce, vinegar, mustard and minced shallots until they blend completely.
• Peel off the egg shells and slice each of them longitudinally into two halves.
• Scoop out the egg yolks, without hampering the whites and add the former to the filling mixture.
• Mash the egg yolks with a fork and fold them into the mayo-pesto mixture until it turns smooth and creamy.
• Spoon the mixture into small piping bag, fitted with a large star tip and pipe it into the hollow of the egg whites.
• Garnish with a dash of paprika and serve right away.
• In case you intend to store them, cover with a plastic sheet and leave them in the refrigerator for up to 8 hours.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons