Basil Pesto with Pasta
Our Eating Around the World Adventure has taken us to Italy. We absolutely are loving this adventure, where we randomly pick a country and cook food from that country for a week or a month, depending on how many things we want to try.
Now I have been cooking Italian food since I got married over 19 years ago, but with this adventure I am trying things I have not cooked before. Now you may say pesto, really, you've never made pesto before, and the answer would be no, I've never made pesto before.
But now that I have, I will never stop making pesto, I absolutely love it. It is so fresh tasting, it's just delicious, and except for cooking the pasta, it's not even cooking, it's just mixing, and even then, the food processor does it for you.
I love pesto with pasta, any type of pasta, spaghetti, linguine, penne, on anything. It's also great on gnocchi, pizza or even in salads. I also just simply love it on toast, I'll even eat it straight from the bowl after I have made it.
I will never, ever, ever, throw away a basil leaf again, it will never ever die in my refrigerator again, as now any leftover basil from other recipes will be turned into pesto.
I have even made my husband plant basil all over our garden as Pesto can be frozen, so I will have it in my freezer for those days when I'm too busy to cook.
I drizzle in the oil slowly into the food processor, but if your food processor doesn't have a spout to pour ingredients in while it is working, the original recipe just added the oil in with the other ingredients and blitzed it all together.
If you are like me and you have never made pesto, give it a try, you'll love it.
Now I have been cooking Italian food since I got married over 19 years ago, but with this adventure I am trying things I have not cooked before. Now you may say pesto, really, you've never made pesto before, and the answer would be no, I've never made pesto before.
But now that I have, I will never stop making pesto, I absolutely love it. It is so fresh tasting, it's just delicious, and except for cooking the pasta, it's not even cooking, it's just mixing, and even then, the food processor does it for you.
I love pesto with pasta, any type of pasta, spaghetti, linguine, penne, on anything. It's also great on gnocchi, pizza or even in salads. I also just simply love it on toast, I'll even eat it straight from the bowl after I have made it.
I will never, ever, ever, throw away a basil leaf again, it will never ever die in my refrigerator again, as now any leftover basil from other recipes will be turned into pesto.
I have even made my husband plant basil all over our garden as Pesto can be frozen, so I will have it in my freezer for those days when I'm too busy to cook.
I drizzle in the oil slowly into the food processor, but if your food processor doesn't have a spout to pour ingredients in while it is working, the original recipe just added the oil in with the other ingredients and blitzed it all together.
If you are like me and you have never made pesto, give it a try, you'll love it.
Recipe
Recipe adapted from Laura Cassai's cookbook "My Italian Kitchen'
Makes about 200ml
50g basil leaves, from about 1 bunch
40g pine nuts
25g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
125ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for storing
1 garlic clove, chopped
375g spaghetti or linguine
Makes about 200ml
50g basil leaves, from about 1 bunch
40g pine nuts
25g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
125ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for storing
1 garlic clove, chopped
375g spaghetti or linguine
Place the pine nuts in a cold frying pan. Place pan over medium heat and lightly toast the pine nuts. Place in a bowl to cool, while you pick the basil leaves from the stems.
Place the basil leaves, cooled pine nuts, parmigiano reggiano, and garlic in a food processor. With the processor running, drizzle in the oil in a steady stream until it is all smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure it is all incorporated. Season with salt, to taste.
If not using the pesto right away, spoon the pesto into a jar, cover with extra virgin olive oil and seal with a lid. Refrigerate and use as required, it should last up to a week, if covered in oil.
If you are having it right away. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water following packet instructions, until al dente. Strain the pasta, discard cooking water. Place the pasta back in the saucepan you cooked the pasta in, add the pesto, mix it all together to combine.
Place the pasta in a serving bowl, drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil and grate over a little more parmigiano reggiano. Serve immediately.
Place the basil leaves, cooled pine nuts, parmigiano reggiano, and garlic in a food processor. With the processor running, drizzle in the oil in a steady stream until it is all smooth. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure it is all incorporated. Season with salt, to taste.
If not using the pesto right away, spoon the pesto into a jar, cover with extra virgin olive oil and seal with a lid. Refrigerate and use as required, it should last up to a week, if covered in oil.
If you are having it right away. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water following packet instructions, until al dente. Strain the pasta, discard cooking water. Place the pasta back in the saucepan you cooked the pasta in, add the pesto, mix it all together to combine.
Place the pasta in a serving bowl, drizzle with a little more extra virgin olive oil and grate over a little more parmigiano reggiano. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!