Tuesday 20 August 2013

Pesto Genovese

Fresh pesto is delicious and so quick and easy to make. You can store it in a jar in the fridge for up to a week or even freeze it. If you store it in the fridge drizzle a little olive oil over the top to preserve it. If you freeze it, once you have defrosted it, add a touch of hot water to it as your pesto will have lost  a little moisture.

80g fresh basil leaves
2tbsp pine nuts
1 garlic clove
pinch coarse sea salt
extra virgin olive oil
2tbsp Pecorino (or Parmesan) cheese, grated


Remove all the stalks from your basil leaves.

Place your pine nuts, garlic and sea sal in a pestle and mortar and grind to a pulp. Add the basil leaves, grated cheese and grind again to a smooth paste then slowly drizzle in the oil, stirring all the time, till you have a smooth, silky consistency.

You can make pesto in a food processor by placing all the ingredients, except the oil, and blending to a paste then slowly adding your oil to achieve the desired consistency. If you use a food processor though, the pesto will heat up and you,will loose some of the fresh, vibrant basil flavour you get from fresh pesto.

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