This basil pesto recipe was taught to Sally by her grandmother, who learned it from her Genovese next door neighbour. It’s best made using a mortar and pestle, but this recipe suggests a blender for convenience.
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp pine nuts
- 70 g (about 1 large bunch basil)
- 50g (about ½ cup) grated parmesan (if you can get it, Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese
- 20g (about 1 ½ tbsp) grated pecorino (if you can get it, Sardinian or Romano) cheese
- 70g (about ½ cup) extra-virgin olive oil
- A fat pinch of table salt
Peel garlic, remove the germ, crush and pulse in a blender (or food processor or Thermomix) until minced. Add the pine nuts – there is no need to toast them. Pulse until a chunky paste is formed. Add the basil (leaves only, no stem) and pulse until you have a thick green paste. Add the cheeses, Add the olive oil slowly until you have the desired consistency (we like ours fairly runny, some people prefer a paste).
more recipes
Ingredients 4 cups brown or green olives, plain A large handful of rosemary, oregano, sage or other woody herbs 4 […]
Ingredients ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves garlic 1 tbsp tomato paste 2 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp […]
Ingredients 3 sticks of baguette or small ciabatta (plus a gluten free roll) 8 large, very ripe tomatoes 3 large […]
Ingredients 400g chorizo (plus 200g vegan chorizo) 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1.5 cups hard apple cider 2 bay […]
Serves 1 hungry adult or 1 adult and 1 child Equipment Induction cooktop Frying pan Foil Container for salad Container […]
Makes 1 serve. Equipment Small container for mixing sauce Cutting board Knife Veg peeler Measuring spoons Grater/microplane Frypan or wok […]