Basil Pesto recipe
Q: Hi, I’m looking for a simple basil pesto recipe. All the recipes I’ve found so far seem to call for pine nuts – where does one buy pine nuts from?
A: Most of your larger store’s should stock pine nuts, if you have no luck there try a health specialist shop or deli. At a push, you can use peeled almonds, but the flavour and texture is not quite the same.
In our cooking classes at Wickedfood Cooking School have found that the best recipe for Basil Pesto is one that is kept fresh, simple and to a minimum so that the flavours can really come through on their own. The most common pestos are probably Pesto alla genovese (basil), Pesto alla siciliana (tomato and less basil), Pesto alla calabrese (grilled bell peppers and black pepper) and Arugula (rocket, black olives, lemon peel and coriander).
In a recent individual cookery class at Wickedfood Cooking School we used this recipe which came out as a firm favourite:
- 4 cups basil roughly torn (soft stalks can be added)
- 1-2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup toasted pine nuts
- ±1t sea salt
- ¼ cup Parmesan
- ±1 cup olive oil
- Place the basil, pine nuts, garlic and salt in a mortar and pound until a smooth paste is reached.
- Add the cheese and mix in well.
- Slowly pour in the olive oil and mix until the desired consistency is reached.
- Season with salt and pepper and store in an air-tight container for ±1 week.
Serve with fresh pastas for best results.
Sunninghill – (011) 234-3252sunninghill@wickedfood.co.za
Wickedfood cooking school runs cooking classes throughout the year at its purpose-built cooking studios. Classes are run in the mornings and evenings 7 days a week (subject to a minimum of 12 people). The venue is also popular for corporate events and private functions – team building cooking classes, birthdays, kitchen teas, and dinner parties with a difference.
Our classes are hands-on, where every person gets to participate in the preparation of the dishes. They are also a lot of fun where you not only learn new skills, but get to meet people with similar interests. For corporate groups and teambuilding cooking classes these classes are a novel way of creating staff interaction or entertaining clients.
[…] Basil Pesto […]
I made your basil pesto recipe and it was divine. My family and friends then also wanted so i bought consol jars 125ml and made a few batches and bottled it for them. Within 48hrs the bottles were oozing. I opened them and the pesto started growing out the bottle. Did i fill the bottles too much? Please help as i want to make and bottle more for them but dont know what went wrong.
Basil pesto is made with fresh ingredients that have not been sterilized, as well as cheese, which is in itself a living organism, so any bacteria will automatically manifest itself if not stored correctly. There are a few tips however that will assist with increasing the shelf life:
Ensure that the bottles of sterilized;
Do not fill the bottles right to the top, and cover with a layer of olive oil, which will assist in keeping any harmful bacteria out;
Store in the fridge and do not keep for longer than one week.
This is a great post.
Wonderful blog! I actually love how it is easy on my eyes and also the details are well written. I am wondering how I may be notified whenever a new post has been made. I have subscribed to your rss feed which must do the trick! Do you make this pesto in any of your cooking classes?