If there’s one food to epitomize my childhood, its Basil Pesto. My Nana used to make it and we looked forward to her visits where she’d always bring us a little jar.  The recipe was then passed onto my mum and then onto me. We eat pesto with pasta, slather it onto fresh white bread and drizzle it over salads. Pesto is a staple of our pantry and as I don’t live at home now, mum and I have a mutual agreement that if I pick the basil leaves from the plant when I’m there, I can take a new jar of ready-made pesto from the fridge. 

I don’t know whether it’s our Italian heritage or the family connection to the recipe that makes us all love it so much, but friends near and far are always asking for the recipe and I love seeing the glee on their face when I turn up at their house with a jar of homemade Basil Pesto. 

Ingredients: 

• 4 cups of loosely packed basil
• ¾ cup grated parmesan 
• 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped.
• ½ Tbs Salt 
• 1/3 Pine nuts 
• ½-3/4 cup of Olive Oil 

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor. 
2. Blitz until combined and a thick paste has formed. 
3. Taste test and adjust to suit preference. 
4. Place pesto in a glass jar and cover with a thin layer of oil. 
5. Store in fridge 

Tips: If you don’t have enough Basil, you can substitute ½ the amount of basil for baby spinach.