Basil Pesto
Easy
Prep 15 min
Basil pesto the perfect blend of fresh sweet Italian basil, parmesan cheese, pine nuts and garlic with lashings of virgin oil. Basil pesto is easy to make when you know how and home-made basil pesto is so delicious and versatile, I would recommend it a must to have as a staple in any kitchen. The recipe is very flexible and its up to you to substitute the nuts, cheese and a balance of herbs if you would like to adjust the recipe.
The pesto will keep for 4-6 months in the freezer and up to 4-5 weeks in the fridge covered in a small film of oil. The oil keeps the pesto from discolouration so it stays nice and green.
Use the pesto for dressings, pasta sauces, tossing through salads, on bread, toast, sandwiches, in sauces and its perfect to cover fish or chicken before roasting or baking.
Ingredients
- 140g fresh basil leaves
- 2 (15g) cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup (40g) pine nuts
- 50g parmesan cheese ( grated or chopped from a block)
- 3/4 cup virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbs lemon juice
Recipe Steps
-
- In a food processor blend the parmesan (if you not using grated parmesan) with the garlic and blend until finely chopped.
- Add in the basil, pine nuts, olive oil and lemon juice and blend until just combined. You don’t want to blend the pesto until its a complete puree as you still want to see small pieces of basil, cheese, nuts and garlic. Addin the salt and blend again for 1-2 seconds.
- Spoon the pesto into a jar and cover with a thin film of oil.