Rosemary and rocket pesto

Who can resist a freshly baked loaf of warm sourdough with a thick layer of pesto? Not us! We are often found on a Sunday morning at our local bakery, tearing off handfuls of sourdough non-stop. It’s a newsworthy day if our loaf makes it home in one piece! But for when it does make the journey home, we generally have a jar of this rosemary and rocket pesto waiting in our fridge to slather on the bread. Rosemary absolutely thrives in our garden; it’s an easy herb to grow, and it adds a great flavour to any meal. The inclusion of rocket in this pesto makes for a peppery palate with a uniquely bright flavour.

Makes 1 cup (250 g/9 oz)

Use

6 large rosemary sprigs

2 cups (70 g/2½ oz) rocket (arugula) leaves

⅓ cup (50 g/1¾ oz) toasted pine nuts

½ cup (45 g/1½ oz) coarsely grated parmesan cheese

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

½ cup (125 ml/4 fl oz) olive oil (or macadamia oil, if you have it)

Do

1	Strip the leaves from the rosemary stems and place them into a food processor with the other ingredients. Pulse until you achieve the desired texture (we like our pesto coarse and slightly crunchy).
2	Scoop the pesto into a sterilised jar and store the jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

By the way, this recipe is also delicious if you replace the rocket leaves with lemon sorrel – just make sure you swap the lemon juice with extra olive oil, so that the pesto doesn’t become too zesty!