Pesto is one of those sauces that are always a treat. It is easy to prepare and inexpensive to make from scratch, much unlike the varieties found in supermarkets. Many brands now use sunflower and canola oils in place of good quality olive oil, and also include dairy by products, such as Parmesan cheese. The beauty of homemade basil is that you have full control over the quality of the ingredients, and it takes just a few minutes to prepare.
Below is my recipe for a simple, garlicky basil pesto, which you can adjust to your own taste.
If you’re missing the cheesiness, you may want to experiment by adding some nutritional yeast, and decreasing the amount of salt stated. I haven’t tried this before – we’d sprinkle some over our cooked pasta for that cheesy flavour – but I imagine that it could work well in the pesto itself.
| Servings |
cup
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- 2 cups fresh sweet basil
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1/8 cup raw almonds
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt
- black pepper to taste
Ingredients
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- Place all ingredients into a container and whizz with a handheld blender until ingredients are combined into a saucy texture. If you prefer to really taste and chew the nuts, I advise that you grind them separately and fold it into the pesto mixture when ready.