Pesto
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- Recipe Card
Recipe Card
ingredients
- 8 ounces fresh basil, (approximately 1 bunch)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 1/2 ounce almonds, (soak almonds for 15 minutes in water – alternatively use other nuts such as cashews, macadamias or the original pine nuts, even pre- packed almond meal)
- 1 1/2 ounces parmesan, (freshly grated and use more if you wish)
- 3 1/3 ounces olive oil, (plus a bit extra to drizzle over the top)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- pinch of salt
Method
Step 1
Pick the basil from the stems and place the leaves in a large bowl of water. Lightly wash the basil leaves in the bowl and then transfer them onto a dry kitchen towel/paper. Gently dry them, then place the basil leaves into a food processor or your choice of blender.
Step 2
Add the garlic, nuts, parmesan, olive oil, apple cider vinegar and blend for 20 seconds or until a roughly smooth texture is formed. Taste and season with a pinch of salt, blend again for 5 seconds and season to your liking.
Step 3
The best way to store pesto is by half freezing it in baking paper (transfer the pesto into the centre of a sheet of baking paper, fold it over, twist the ends and tie each end with a string). Then remove it from the freezer after 1 hour and a half and slice it into smaller portions then place it back into the freezer to completely solidify. Alternatively you can pour the pesto into ice cube containers and freeze them then relocate them to a container once frozen. Or store the pesto fresh in a container/jar covered with olive oil and closed with a lid (the olive oil protects the pesto from oxidising, preserving it and the vibrant colour. It will easily last a month in the fridge).