This basil pesto recipe makes a great base to experiment with different ingredients to create different pesto recipes.
Once, I bought a beautiful jar of green basil pesto from the market and was really looking forward to using it. I used it in a pasta dish and it turned out too salty, even when I placed only a little bit. I had to thin it out with additional olive oil. What a disappointment!
That's what you get when you buy stuff pre-mixed. You can't control the amount of ingredients used nor the quality of the ingredients used.
How wonderful it is to be able to grow your own basil and harvest the leaves to make homemade fresh pesto. Pick your favorite olive oil, pine nutes and cheese.
This basil pesto recipe is a breeze to use with the help of a food processor or blender. You just need to gather all the key ingredients together and process or blend them together.
Pesto keeps well too. Store them in the freezer in suitable portions until you are ready to use.
Ingredients100g fresh basil leaves
40g parmesan cheese
2 tablespoon pine nuts
2 cloves garlic
20ml extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
- Grate the parmesan cheese finely
- Wash the basil leaves, remove any grit, sand and wilted leaves and spin dry in a salad spinner
- Place the basil leaves, pine nuts, cheese and garlic in a food processor and process until it become almost like a thick paste
- Switch the food processor to low and start pouring the oil slowly into the pesto until the sauce is thick
- Season with some salt and pepper to taste
Recipe link: Basil pesto recipe