Pesto

There are certain things that can be bought pre-made for our convenience that taste wonderful. Then there are some things that, when home-made, would beat hands down anything that mass production could even dream of producing ... pesto is one of the latter. Some things are worth a little time and effort. This is a very basic and standard recipe, but once you make your own you will taste the difference. Pesto can be used in a host of recipe ideas, added into pasta dishes, spread on bruschetta, it is a beautiful accompaniment for grilled chicken or pork, toss your steamed vegetables in it ... the list really does go on and on.

Ingredients

A small handful of pine nuts

¼ clove of garlic, peeled

Pinch of sea salt

An extra-large bunch of basil

A small handful of grated Parmesan cheese

Extra virgin olive oil

Black pepper to season

Method

• Lightly toast the pine nuts on a small, dry frying pan over a medium/high heat. Shake them around and don’t colour them too much.

• Place the garlic, salt and picked leaves from the basil in a food processor.

• Give it a good blitz until finely chopped. Add in the pine nuts and blitz again.

• Scoop out the contents into a mixing bowl, add in three-quarters of the grated Parmesan cheese and stir it in while drizzling in the oil until you have an oozy mix.

• Add a generous pinch of freshly crushed black pepper and taste. Adjust seasoning if need be.

• Add in the rest of the Parmesan cheese and more oil until you have reached the consistency you desire. Continue to taste – this is your pesto, it should taste how you like it!