An infinite upgrade to the casual store bought Italian Basil Pesto, the homemade stuff will supercharge any pasta dish, bread or charcuterie. Or, alternatively, you can equally just go deviant and eat it straight up as nature intended!
Italian Basil Pesto
Ingredients
- 40g (1½oz) Pine Nuts (Walnuts if unavailable)
- 90g (3oz) Fresh Italian Basil leaves
- 60g (2oz) Parmesan (Grated)
- 6g (2 cloves) Garlic
- 2g (¼tsp) Salt
- 1 Pinch Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 150g (5oz) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (Fan 160°C, 350°F, Gas mark 5). Place the 40 grams of Pine Nuts on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 6 minutes, turning once half way through. Set aside and leave to cool
- Combine 90g of Basil (stalks removed), 60g of Parmesan, 6g of Garlic and your 40g of toasted Pine Nuts in a food processor along with a little Salt and Pepper. Pulse a few times to get things chopped
- With the food processor running, slowly add the 150g of Olive Oil and pulverise until smooth (approximately 1 minute), stopping to scrape down the edges if necessary
- Transfer to a suitable storage container and enjoy
Nutrition
Getting the Italian Basil Pesto Just Right
I’ve seen many a monstrosity when folks around the world have tried recreate this tremendous Italian concoction. The worst offenders come in the shape of those who opt for sub-standard Basil, cheap Olive Oil, or omit Parmesan altogether.
Basil – Words fail to describe the air of disappointment when biting into a pesto flavoured dish and meeting a the bitter anise taste of Thai Basil. Just because the name sounds similar, it doesn’t make it a suitable alternative to the sweet, fragrant taste of its Italian namesake. Don’t get me wrong, Thai Basil has its place in the culinary arsenal, just not in Italian Pesto.
Olive Oil – Use a nice Extra Virgin Olive Oil for this one. Just take care when selecting a brand, and choose one like Filippo Berio that doesn’t kill thousands of birds during the harvest. In addition, any Olive Oil labelled ‘Pomace’ may be cheap, but is also absolute garbage.
Parmesan – This, or a similar hard cheese, will add an underlying flavour that you cannot replicate elsewhere. Obviously, those with a disposition to dairy, or other dietary concerns will need an alternative. For these, rather than trying to replicate the aroma of Parmesan, I would rather suggest adding a handful of sun-dried tomatoes to give the dish an extra punch.
Pine Nuts – These little delicacies can prove expensive and elusive, however, at a push, Pesto lovers can replace them with walnuts or almonds.
This amazing Pesto dish will store in a fridge for up to one week, or alternatively, freeze for up to 6 Months
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