Basil Pesto
This is our favourite pesto and is made with hazelnuts and pine nuts, but doesn't contain cheese so perfect for vegans. You can vary the herbs and make it with wild garlic, watercress, rocket, baby spinach leaves or a mixture.
Basil Pesto
Dietary: Vegan
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients:
50g hazels
25g pinenuts
1 garlic clove, peeled
100ml extra virgin olive oil
40g fresh basil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp apple juice concentrate
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Place the hazels on a baking tray, and roast in a hot oven (200C/180Fan/Gas6) for 5-8 minutes, being careful they don’t burn. Rub the skins off the hazelnuts.
2. Dry roast the pinenuts in a small frying pan until golden, decant into a bowl.
3. In a food processor or in a pestle and mortar crush the pinenuts and hazels roughly and then decant them into a bowl and set aside.
4. Puree the garlic with a pinch of salt in a little of the olive oil, then add the basil and the rest of the olive oil and puree just enough to break up the basil to a rough texture.
5. Add the lemon juice and apple juice concentrate and mix.
6. Pour the basil and garlic mixture into the crushed nuts and stir in.
7. Season to taste.
Tips:
- Serve as a pasta sauce, bruschetta topping or as a dip for crudités.
- Can be made with watercress, rocket, baby spinach leaves or a mixture.
- The pesto will keep in the fridge for a week or two so long as the top is covered with a layer of olive oil.
- You can also freeze it. Freeze in small containers, so that you can take out a little at a time.
Related articles
We've been getting some fabulous multi-colour beetroot recently from the nearby Castle Farm Organics which we've been putting to
Borscht originates from Eastern Europe where each country, and even each household, will have their variation of this hearty
These are the best crunchy roasties with a lovely yellow saffron hue and paprika spicy. Make sure you use floury