recipe for pesto

[Cheekystar]

how do I make it? and is there a healthy version?

[wonderwoman1]

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fresh basil leaves

pine nuts

olive oil

parmesan cheese

salt and pepper

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[nickmo]

Basil / pine nut, garlic, salt / pepper, little parmesan cheese and good olive oil blended to a paste - blitz the cheese, basil (lots of it) s & p and garlic first for 15 secs, then the nuts added and another 10 secs. Don't aim for a puree - keep the texture. Can be kept in a (sterilised) jar with a surface topping of oil to 'seal' and this will store for about a week.

Try with something other than green basil - red basil; add some sun dreied tomatoes; use spinach leaves; try with coriander; chili; use some toasted sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds, add walnuts, onion, Pecorino cheese.

a pesto is a suace - not just a green paste, so try some of the others. To get a slightly more healthy option, reduce the amoiunt of oil but it is still needed to keep the emulsion - and it does give a flavour as well of course.

If you still get bored, 700+ here to try: pesto inc one with cocoa and tomato . . .

[Kim A]

Same ingredients, but I'd never make it in a blitzer of any kind - I think the finished product tastes better made in a pestle and mortar, or a bowl and the end of your rolling pin if you haven't got a blender. I was taught to make it by an Italian student of mine and he would never, ever have used mechanical means to make pesto.
Oh, and never, ever eat mass produced pesto from a jar - some brands use potato, cashew nuts, DRIED basil(!) and all sorts of rubbish in their 'traditional' (pah!) pesto. Oh, and if you're really serious about it - homegrown basil - can't beat the flavour!