One of the things we love most about basil pesto is its versatility. Pesto can be placed with any of your favourite savoury meals to give it a nice, fresh kick of flavour! This recipe is eons better than any store-bought pesto, using only 5 ingredients and a food processor.
PESTO RECIPE
Many, many years ago, there once lived an extremely lazy young girl that would only buy bottled pesto. Fast forward to present day, and the now older (and I’d like to think wiser), young woman has turned into a fresh-food snob and would never consider buying the bottled stuff. Pesto is so unbelievably easy to make, I can guarantee you that when you try this, you too will become a pesto snob, holding your head high when passing the condiment section in the supermarket, vowing never to buy store bought again. Nothing beats the colour and flavour of freshly made basil pesto. We eat it with anything. On toast (yes, on toast), in sandwiches, on spaghetti or zucchini noodles, and even lathered all over chicken and other meats (fish is damn good too).
HOW TO MAKE PESTO
Start by lightly toasting your pine nuts in a skillet or pan. If you can, try not to skimp on this part. It enhances the flavour and tastes way better than plain old pine nuts.
Throw them with everything else (except for the olive oil), into a food processor and process until chopped. I use a Cuisinart Food Processor, because I find it to works better and more thoroughly blends the ingredients used in this recipe.
Then, add your oil in a nice, thin stream until emulsified. Before you know it, the most perfect condiment you’ve ever seen will appear before your very eyes. Velvety smooth and a vibrant green.
WHAT TO MAKE:
Regularly used as a pasta sauce like in our Basil Pesto Chicken Spaghetti, pesto is extremely versatile and has many uses:
A sauce for any meat or fish. Add it into an Alfredo sauce like our Creamy Pesto Shrimp Alfredo. Spoon it over roasted vegetables. Spread into a sandwich or grilled cheese. Drizzle over grilled or baked chicken, like our 2 Ingredient Baked Chicken. Use it as an appetiser and spread onto crostini or crusty, Cheesy Garlic Bread. Serve as a dip! Mix it through a salad to use as dressing (like our Pesto Grilled Chicken Avocado Salad). A pizza topping!
CAN YOU FREEZE PESTO?</h3>
Any leftover pesto can be stored in an air tight jar and refrigerated for one week. Alternatively, freeze in a small plastic container for up to 3 months. … Read More
