Basil Pesto
I can confidently say that this basil pesto tops any you can buy in the shops.
The first time I made this, it genuinely changed my view of basil pesto. I didn’t grow up eating pesto, and if I did have any they would come from the jars you buy. I really feel like I’m not a fussy person, but when it comes to pesto I have become the fussiest. I’ve tried many variations from all types of brands; the usual popular ones, small batch organic whatever it is, they just haven’t compared. Store bought pesto to me tastes like they’ve been made with some type of tea leaf rather than basil.
When I developed this pesto recipe about 3-4 years ago I wanted it to be versatile. Something I could use obviously with pasta, but also as a spread in sandwiches, dollop into hummus or whatever else. I didn’t want it to be runny, and overly too herby to the point it could possibly taste like grass. I created a pesto recipe thats bright, creamy and has the perfect amount of basil.
This recipe uses the traditional-ish basil pesto ingredients; pine nuts, olive oil, basil, olive oil and parmesan. You normally find a mix of parm and pecorino, but I make this one with only parm as its the easiest cheese to find. If you have pecorino available, use it! Do a 2:1 ratio of parm to pec as pecorino has a bit of a stronger flavour than parm. If you can’t find any of these cheeses, Grana Padano works as well. You want to get the best quality of the ingredients needed to make this recipe as there really isn’t much the ingredients can hide behind, you will taste each and every one of the flavours and if one is rancid or bad quality it will affect the end product.
Makes: roughly 1 cup
prep/making time: 5-10 mins
Ingredients
1/4 cup pine nuts (35g), toasted and cooled
1 large clove of garlic, cut in quarters
1/3 cup parmesan (65g), cut into chunks
1 1/3 (40g)cup fresh basil
1/4 cup (55ml)olive oil
salt, oil
Method
1. In a food processor, add in your cooled toasted pine nuts and garlic. Pulse until they break down, and become paste-like.
2. Add in the parmesan and pulse until it breaks up into little shavings, and the ingredients mix together. You don’t want to continuously keep the mixture blending as this will create heat and can heat up the cheese, creating a bizarre texture.
3. Add in basil and olive oil to the processor, pulse until the mixture comes together and forms a beautiful bright green paste. You will have to scrape the sides of the processor so everything is thoroughly incorporated.
4. Season the pesto with salt and store in a jar in the fridge. Coat the top of the pesto in the jar with olive oil, this will create a barrier between the pesto and oxygen helping to preserve it and not letting it oxidise. If stored correctly, the pesto lasts for up to 2.5 weeks.
Trofie al Pesto
Trofie is the traditional pasta shape eaten with pesto in Italy. This dish is traditionally served with cubes of potatoes and green beans mixed into the pasta dish.
When I had to shoot the photos for pesto pasta, I decided to have a go at making the trofie pasta myself. Unlike your usual homemade pasta (most ask for an egg-based dough) Trofie is actually just a wheat and water dough. Its a very easy dough to make and a great introduction to hand shaped pasta. I used the recipe from the plant based school which resulted in rustic looking trofie, but nevertheless, one of the most delicious homemade pastas I’ve ever made.
recipe-less trofie al pesto
prep/cooking time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
2 tbsp Basil Pesto per serving
90g dried Trofie or short pasta per serving
2-3 tbsp pasta cooking liquid per 2 tbsp pesto
Method
1. In a pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until al dente.
2. In a separate pan, add the pesto and dilute the paste with pasta cooking liquid until your desired consistency.
3. Add al dente pasta into the pesto sauce and toss until everything is nicely coated. Season with salt, serve with a drizzle of olive oil.