Ingredients
-
6 bunches basil
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1.5 cups pine nuts
-
1 cup parmesan cheesegrated
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sea salt flakes
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freshly ground pepper
Directions
I usually make pesto when basil is at its best, fortunately when basil it at it’s best it’s also abundant and cheap so I usually end up making it in big batches.
I leave some in my fridge, jar some up for friends and freeze the rest. The freezing affects it slightly but in winter when there is no fresh basil I’ve still got better pesto than I can buy from any deli or shop. In those colder months I toss it through my pastas, dollop it in my soup or spread it on toasted French bread.
- Toss the pine nuts in a dry pan over medium high heat until golden brown.
- Remove and allow to cool.
- Cook the garlic in a little olive oil until soft, remove and allow to cool.
- Pick all the leaves off the stems and discard the stems.
- Place all the leaves into a food processor and chop on high (you may need to add a little olive oil to get the leaves moving.
- Once they are very roughly chopped add the cooled nuts, garlic and parmesan cheese.
- Process on high and add the olive oil as you do, if you prefer a stiffer pesto, only add about half the olive oil.
- Process until rustically smooth.
- Season to taste with salt & pepper.
