Glorious Pesto
Fresh pesto tastes like summer on a fork. The best part about it is that it can be made out of anything you want – or happens to be in your kitchen. The basic rule is that Pesto must have a good quality oil, a vegetable or herb, garlic, salt and a nut. Traditionally pesto is made from basil and pine nuts but you can really use your imagination here. Spinach and walnuts? Garlic scape and macadamia nut? Kale and pistachio? The sky is the limit.
Pesto can be used on everything: on pasta, in sandwiches, as a marinade for meat and fish, drizzled on roasted vegetables, as a dipping sauce, or just straight up with a spoon. Yes, it is that good….
Make a batch and keep it in your fridge. It will stay fresh for about 5 days.
Pesto recipe
Makes: 1 generous cup
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil (or any green- spinach, kale, garlic scape etc)
½ cup walnuts, pine nuts, macadamia nuts or pistachios
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ cup unfiltered olive oil
1 pinch sea salt and freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Place the greens and nuts in a food processor. Pulse to combine, until the mixture is coarsely ground.
Turn food processor on and drizzle the olive oil in a thin stream. Add the sea salt, pepper, lemon, and pulse a few more times to combine.
By Tapp Francke Ingolia