Hi there!
Lovely Sunday here with a bit of crispy autumn breeze! I decided to be resourceful and try something I've wanted to do for quite some time now - to be precise, since I bought a pot of basil to grow at home! I absolutely love running my fingers through the leaves and sniffing how lovely and fresh basil leaves smell. It also reminds me of Greece where big pots of basil are a must in traditional houses.
My pot of basil: I try to always have it by the window so it gets some light!
Now that my plant is a big bigger, I decided to cut a handful of leaves and make my own pesto - nothing like the store-bought stuff! This one is so fresh and full in flavour! Plus, I added as much garlic as I wanted (a lot more than the store version!)
Here is my lovely heather: an absolute must of the Scottish autumn!
I got so excited that it is so easy to make and so tasty and rich!
Here's what you'll need:
a handful of fresh basil leaves
nuts (pine, walnuts, cashews, etc.)
a clove of garlic
a few tbsps of olive oil
some pepper and herbs
some lemon juice to taste
Now, I'll try to write a fancy recipe, because basically you just throw all of this in a blender and that's it!
Let's see: first, carefully pick your leaves and wash them. I washed some dill as well and added for extra aroma.
You can toast the nuts if you like - I didn't as I wanted everything to be fresh.
I didn't use pine. I used mixed nuts from graze snack pots, such as soy roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Then, I also added a few sliced almonds, walnuts and cashews. Add the garlic (I added two cloves instead of one!) and buzz it in.
I didn't chop any of these beforehand as I wanted my sauce to be crunchy. If you like your pesto to be smooth, make sure you chop them up a bit to help them incorporate well in the mixture.
Give them a first buzz or add the oil immediately. Alternate in between buzzes with adding oil and lemon. Add a little at a time to check the consistency as you go. I didn't want it to be runny, but add some more if you like or a few extra drops of lemon will do.
Ready in only a few minutes! Amazingly rich just like that - I didn't even use any cheese, only drizzled some extra oil on top and that's it! Enjoy!
