Basil pesto
Most of us have eaten pesto and adore it. It transfers simple pasta, tomatoes, sandwiches, soups etc into something special. The most common one is the bright green basil pesto, consisting of pine nuts, fresh basil, garlic, parmesan and olive oil. Basil pesto originates from Genoa in Italy. The word pesto comes from the Italian word "pestare"which means to crush. It refers to the original way pesto was made. The ingredients were crushed in a pestle and mortar and not like these days blended in a food processor.
Equipment
- Food prossesor or pestle and mortar
Ingredients
- 100 g fresh basil leaves
- 50 g sunflower seeds, roasted
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 130 ml extra virgin olive oil plus extra olive oil for covering the surface if you bottle the pesto.
- 1 teasp salt
- 5 grinds black pepper
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 50 g freshly grated parmesan or peccorino cheese
Instructions
- Add the basil leaves, sunflower seeds and garlic into your food processor until everything is rougly chopped.
- Add the remaining ingredients (olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon juice and cheese) and pulse until your have the desired consistency. I leave mine a bit chuncky.
- You can use the pesto straight away or fill it into small jars and keep it in the fridge for up to 1 to 2 weeks. I cover the surface of the pesto with olive oil to seal it. If you don't consume the pesto immediately, you may notice a change of colour, that normal, nothing to worry about.