Almond, Parmesan and Basil Pesto

Pesto has taken the world by storm over the last few decades. The classic recipe, pesto alla genovese, uses pecorino cheese and pine nuts. I prefer our creation. It’s a little less oily since we use toasted almonds instead of pine nuts, and Parmesan is a bit less sharp.

Ingredients

3 garlic cloves, peeled

100 g (3 ½ oz) almonds, skinned, and roasted until golden

200 g (7 oz) fresh basil leaves

125 ml (4 fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil

80 g (2 ¾ oz) Parmesan cheese, grated

salt and black pepper

Method

In a food processor, blitz the garlic and almonds together to make a coarse paste. Add the basil, and cover with lid. While running the machine, slowly add the olive oil. You don’t want to make a soup out of this, so be careful not to over-blitz. Make sure your basil maintains some of its structure. Scoop into a bowl, and stir in the Parmesan for a nice chunky pesto. Then add salt and pepper to taste. The secret of leftover pesto is that it freezes well.