Fresh Pesto Recipe

For anyone interested here is my recipe for fresh pesto sauce. I first made pesto from the leaves of a supermarket basil plant that I had grown to 2.5ft (75cm) high in around 6 weeks (during an unusually hot Scottish summer!).

The recipe below makes enough pesto for around 8 people which is not bad value from an initial spend of ~50p (90 cents)on the basil. It will freeze ok.

100g fresh basil leaves
20g sea salt
50g pine nuts
4 (or 6!) cloves of garlic
110g Parmesan cheese
250ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

You could blend all the ingredients in a food processor but using a mortar and pestle is the more authentic way. Grind the basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic and sea salt in the mortar until you see a pulp begin to form. Add the Parmesan cheese a little at a time until a thick paste has been formed. Now pour in the oil a little at a time and work with the pestle until it has all been absorbed. Serve with your favourite pasta, fresh bread or even boiled new potatos (and a fine Italian white wine!).

You might even want to experiment by swapping the pine nuts with pistacchio nuts.

Chris

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