Herby, flavourful and fresh are the 3 words that sums up a nice homemade pesto. Add it to your salads, breads or pastas, it’s perfect for the summer season. You can use an electric chopper for this but we prefer a mortar and pestle to keep the consistency thick and really get the juices out from all the ingredients. When made it turns into a thick green paste, my mouth is watering whilst typing this!
Homemade pesto
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 big bunch of fresh basil
- 1 handful of pine nuts lightly toasted
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Pinch of sea salt
Directions
- Step 1 Peel the garlic, then pound in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt
- Step 2 Chop the basil leaves and add to the mortel, then bash to a paste (or pulse in a electric chopper)
- Step 3 Add the pine nuts to the mixture and pound again, then stir in half the Parmesan
- Step 4 Drizzle in some oil – you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency.
- Step 5 Add most of the remaining cheese, then season to perfection with salt and black pepper. Have a taste, and keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency.