My recipe for a Budget Friendly Basil Pesto – perfect for pasta dishes and sandwiches and marinades. Pesto, from the Italian word pestare – to pound, is made by crushing several ingredients together. Basil Pesto, as the name suggests, uses Basil – my absolute favourite herb. A tweak I have made on the recipe is to use almond nuts instead of pine.
The reason being – Pine Nuts cost a fortune! A 100g bag costs R120 and almonds are a third of that price and have a very similar taste and texture, so they make a good substitute in this recipe.
So, let’s get started. Remember to tag me or comment below if you use this recipe. 🙂
Love,
Cat
Basil Pesto
Ingredients
· 150g Fresh, washed Basil leaves
· 100g Raw Cashew Nuts
· 50 – 60ml Olive Oil and a bit more for later
· 3/4 cup of good quality, grated parmesan or “hard cheese” from Woolworths
· 1 clove of garlic
· Half a Lemon
· Crushed Salt to taste
· Crushed Pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Peel skin off the garlic clove and let it sit in 50 ml of Olive oil for 2 hours to infuse the oil. I personally can’t eat garlic due to my LOW FODMAP diet, so I rather infuse the oil with it.
- Rinse basil and chop finely on a chopping board. Use a chef’s knife like the below one, which will help you to chop
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Toss the cashews onto the chopping board and chop, chop, chop until fine. This will take a while, so have patience. Then add the grated cheese and chop further
- Once pesto is finely chopped (should take 15 – 20 minutes), transfer to a bowl and pour the infused olive oil over (get rid of the garlic clove at this point)
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Using the back of a spoon, mash the basil mixture into the olive oil for 2 minutes
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Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to your taste
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Pour 10 – 15ml of olive oil over the top of the pesto – you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency
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Stir your basil pesto into plain boiled pasta, top it on a cheese sandwich or cracker, or baste it over a cooked chicken breast – basically, you can add it to any dish that needs sprucing up! Basil is very versatile and compliments an array of dishes
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The basil pesto can be kept frozen for up to 4 months. Transfer half the pesto to a small airtight container and drizzle with olive oil to cover. To defrost, place in the fridge for 3-4 hours or until thawed. Don’t forget to stir it up before serving.
