Basil Pesto
The secret for a great pesto, apart from using a great quality olive oil, is to use a pestle and mortar like in the old days. Using a food processor will smoothen the consistency too much and the blades will oxidise a lot of the nutrients. This one is the classic recipe, but pesto is incredibly versatile; it can be made with any leafy green instead of basil, or even sun-dried tomato, aubergine, avocado and many more. Changing up the type of nut also adds it a whole new flavour.
Ingredients:
1-2 cloves of garlic
a large bunch of fresh basil (40 grams would be sufficient)
15 grams pine nuts
60 grams parmesan or/and pecorino
500 grams of spaghetti
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Method
1. Peel and bash the garlic in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt. Pick the basil leaves and add them in together with the pine nuts, then pound to a coarse paste. Muddle in the extra virgin olive oil. Finely grate the parmesan and continue bashing and pounding until smooth.
2. Have a taste and season with salt and black pepper.
3. Meanwhile, add the pasta to a pot of boiling salted water and cook according to the packet instructions. When the pasta is al dente (still with a bit of bite), drain and place it into a pot.
4. Stir the pesto into the pasta. Finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and serve straight away.
