This homemade pesto recipe if the perfect way to use up a glut homegrown basil and it tastes great!
I’ve never made pesto before as a) buying a bunch of basil in the supermarket is darned expensive and b) I’ve never managed to grow much of it myself. Oh, how that has changed! I have a whole bushy row of shiny leafed loveliness in the poly tunnel, that emits the most adorable scent of summer salads when it is watered of an evening.
This should last a week in the fridge before growing fluff. To store it (unopened) for a little longer make sure the jar you use is sterilised and pack the pesto down to ensure there are no air pockets. Drizzle a little more olive oil over the surface to ‘seal’ it.
Pesto is obviously very tasty when stirred into pasta, but it also pretty darn good in a bacon butty or watered down with a little lemon juice and used as a salad dressing. How do you eat yours?
- 2 oz freshly picked basil leaves
- 1 large clove of garlic
- 1 tbsp pine nuts Pine nuts are expensive, I will try this again using walnuts and let you know
- 6 tbsp olive oil
- 1 oz parmesan
- Pinch salt
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Whizz up the oil, salt, nuts, parmesan and garlic to make an oily sauce (it smells so gooood!)
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Pop a small handful of leaves in at a time whizzing as you go until you've got something that looks like, well, Pesto.
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Umm, that's it. Should I have made it sound more technical...?
Mary Poppins says
21 June 2009 at 2:06 pmWow, clever you. I adore pesto and given the chance would have it with everything, but have to say my favourite is pasta :)X
Elaine says
24 June 2009 at 9:59 pmI can almost smell it from here, you've made my mouth water!!Love and blessingsxxxxxxxxxx
The Squirrel Family says
20 August 2009 at 10:12 amwe like ours unde the skin or a roasted chicken Sunflower seeds work well instead of pine nuts too.Shaz