Avi's Pesto

My grandfather always makes the best tasting pesto I have ever had. He cultivates his own little table garden of basil plants and then makes a big batch of pesto every year, using a bunch of little pots which he freezes until he needs another. Delicious on a slice of good toasted bread with some old Manchego cheese (how I always eat it when I visit them), as a salad dressing or a pasta sauce. Homemade tastes so much better than store bought, trust me. It’s deliciously aromatic (the biggest difference between homemade and store bought) and quite addictive. You’ll soon find yourself putting a big dollop of it on everything.

This version also doesn’t use any cheese so perfect for vegans and lactose intolerants.

Ingredients

1 Basil Plant

1 clove of Garlic

1 tbsp Pine Nuts

good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt to taste

Makes enough for one pot of pesto

Pick all the leaves of the basil plant and put them into a mixing jar. I use an immersion blender, but you can also use a blender.

Add a clove of garlic and the pine nuts (lightly toast them in a dry frying pan for extra flavour) and pour in just enough olive oil to be able to blend. Blend well. Add a little more olive oil if needed, but it should be quite thick. Salt to taste.

Will keep for about a week in the fridge, so if you are making more, use smaller jars and freeze them to always have some at hand!