Pesto

Homemade pesto will last for 3 days in the fridge, or months in the freezer. Make a pesto pasta, use for pasta salad, spread it on toast, use as a dip and dollop on everything! There is no greater purpose for a big bunch of fresh basil than to make a homemade classic Italian pesto, and it’s negligent of me to have not shared my “formula” until now! While basil is the classic version, there’s a wide variety of combinations available and I use the same recipe for all variations:

My pesto formula

2 cups basil – or other (tasty) blitzable leafy greens (lie kale, baby spinach) 2 tablespoons pinenuts – or other nuts (chopped). Cashews are the best (better value!) sub for a basil pesto. 1/2 cup / 50 grams parmesan. The better the quality, the better your pesto! 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil – a really good quality one makes all the difference here! I know that sounds like a lot of olive oil but you need it, to make a good pesto. If you don’t use enough, the pesto will be too pasty to use and it will be harder to blitz too. 1 small garlic clove – not too large, else it will have too much of a raw, harsh garlic flavour. Salt and pepper

Combine and blitz – that’s it!

Pesto variations

Here are some terrific combinations I’ve tried over the years. Use the same Pesto Formula above.

Basil and pinenuts – the classic Basil with cashews – a popular dip combination sold in Australia Rocket/arugula or baby spinach – with pinenuts, walnuts, almonds or cashews Kale or silverbeet – with pinenuts, almonds or cashews (I find walnuts too bitter with kale) Parsley – with pinenuts, walnuts, almonds or cashews Add a bit of coriander/cilantro to any of the above (only using coriander is too strong, I find)

Pictured below is rocket/arugula with cashews (left) and walnuts (right).

Chunky or smooth?

Pesto can be a bit on the chunky side, or almost like a uniform green paste. It really comes down to personal preferences or what you’re using it for, but smoother pesto yields a better flavour and greener colour throughout whatever you toss it through. Here’s a comparison of how pasta looks with chunky vs smooth. To be honest, I prefer the look of the chunky because I like the little green bits, but the flavour of the smoother one is better.

How I blitz pesto to make it really smooth

There’s 2 things that will help you get a really smooth pesto:

Ensuring there’s enough liquid to help it blitz. You’d think using the same recipe every time would mean constant results, but it doesn’t – because basil leaves can vary in how much water they hold. So if you’re having trouble getting a smooth pesto, just add more liquid – oil, a touch of water or lemon juice (if you’re planning to use it for a pasta salad or you like a touch of tang in your hot pesto pasta)
The blitzing vehicle – Guess what, not all food processors are created equal! If yours isn’t powerful enough to make a really smooth pesto with 1 minute of blitzing, then give up, it’s not going to happen. Instead, use a blender (you need to be diligent scraping it all out!), a Nutri-bullet (or spice grinder or similar) OR use a stick blender in a bowl. This stick blender works exceptionally well! Watch the video and you’ll see.

Pesto uses

So much more than just pasta!! I’ve separated them between when I use smoother pesto and chunkier pesto.

Smoother pesto Pesto pasta Stirred through risotto or a creamy orzo Pasta Salads Salad dressings Spreading on toast, crostinis Chunkier pesto Dip (like the store bought ones) For dolloping on things – cooked proteins, roasted vegetables, steak Potato salads Making a dressing (add vinegar/lemon and shake/stir)

See the separate post I shared today for how to make a JUICY pesto pasta. Don’t just keep adding more and more oil, it makes it way to rich! – Nagi x

Pesto pasta Stirred through risotto or a creamy orzo Pasta Salads Salad dressings Spreading on toast, crostinis

Dip (like the store bought ones) For dolloping on things – cooked proteins, roasted vegetables, steak Potato salads Making a dressing (add vinegar/lemon and shake/stir)