Parsley-Walnut Pesto Crudité Shooters

Serves 4 with leftovers

A flavorful green dip contrasts colorfully with carrots and bell peppers. Pass individually in shot glass portions for a fun presentation.

Ingredients:

4 carrots, shaved/trimmed and cut into thin sticks about 3” long

1 red bell pepper, trimmed into ~16 sticks

1 yellow bell pepper, trimmed into ~16 sticks

1 large bunch of parsley, flat or curly leaf

½ cup raw shelled walnuts

1 small clove garlic

1 c. sour cream

4 oz. cream cheese

¾ c. freshly grated parmesan cheese, lightly packed

1⁄8 tsp. each kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Make:

Prepare the carrots and peppers and set aside. (These can be cleaned and cut the day ahead and saved in containers. Store cut carrot sticks in water so they don’t dry out.) Heat a small saucepan of water to boiling and add walnuts. Boil walnuts one minute, stirring, than drain and set aside. Wash and dry the parsley. Removing large stems, put leaves and small stems of parsley in the bowl of a food processor. Add walnuts and parmesan. Push the garlic through a garlic press into the bowl of the food processor. Pulse contents of food processor until they are in a uniform, medium crumb. Add sour cream and cream cheese, season with salt and pepper, and pulse food processor contents again until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings.

To Serve:

Using a small spoon, drop portions of dip into shot glasses. Wipe rims with paper towels to tidy appearance, if necessary. Add several veggie and/or bread sticks. Offer the four shot glass portions as well as a “re-up” platter of remaining dip, crudité, etc.

To Save:

Store leftovers for up to three days. Be sure you store the dip with a piece of plastic wrap pressed firmly onto the top without any air bubbles. The top will still brown lightly during storage, but you can stir and recombine without affecting the taste.