PESTO
24 September 2009
Pesto
PESTO : This will be the shortest post known to man! Ok well not quite, but I was about to post the recipe for an avocado, goats cheese & quinoa salad when it occurred to me that it might be useful to have the Basil Pesto recipe first, as it is one of the main ingredients.
This recipe can be easily adapted to different tastes – more or less garlic, with or without parmesan and I add a dash of lemon juice to help keep the bright green colour, as the outer layer seems to oxidize so quickly!
Marisa told me,that when she was a little girl living in Italy, she was given the odious job of having to chop the basil by hand, into a fine paste using only a knife… authentic yes, time efficient no. So I have opted for using the blender and while less romantic it does get the job done.
RECIPE : ERIKA ALLISTON – Sweet Pea Food Blog
- 50 gr fresh basil leaves
- 1 large garlic clove
- 120 ml olive oil
- 25 gr grated parmesan
- 20 gr pine nuts
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- salt & pepper to taste
- To the blender add 1/2 the olive oil, the basil leaves & crushed garlic. Pulse until the leaves are chopped (see picture above).
- Add the rest of the olive oil, parmesan, pine nuts, lemon juice salt & pepper. Pulse again, then change to blend, until well mixed.
30 September 2009 at 7:26 pm
I really like the simplicity of your recipe for pesto and the hint of using lemon so it doesn’t turn brown on top. There is still lots of fresh basil at the market to I will probably triple your recipe and freeze some. It makes such a quick easy dinner with pasta. Love those pics – especially the one in the Cuisinart – amazing! M x
5 November 2009 at 7:57 am
I love pesto! Basil is really expensive here though. Your pesto looks delicious!
11 January 2010 at 11:47 am
Hi Happygrub,
Why is basil so expensive where you live?
Can you plant it yourself? Even just a pot in the kitchen is great.
Erika
22 June 2011 at 2:30 am
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