Basil Pesto
A straightforward Genovese-style pesto that makes short work of a basil glut, with a simple fix for keeping it bright green rather than brown.
Serves: Makes about 1 cupTime: 15 min
Made with Basil
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves, loosely packed
- 1/3 cup pine nuts (walnuts work too)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1-2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt, to taste
Method
- 1.Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, watching closely, until just golden. Let them cool.
- 2.Put the basil, cooled nuts, parmesan and garlic into a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped.
- 3.With the motor running, pour in the olive oil in a steady stream until you have a thick, spoonable sauce. Season with salt.
- 4.Use straight away, or press a layer of plastic wrap directly onto the surface before storing in the fridge to stop it browning.
To get through a real glut, freeze pesto in ice cube trays without the parmesan (add that fresh after thawing), then pop the cubes into a bag. Stirred straight into hot pasta, one or two cubes is a weeknight dinner sorted.