Ok stop right there. Put down that glass jar of pre-made pesto. Eww. Did you look at the preservatives that are in it? salt? what kind of oil are they using? C’mon. Put that jar down and rethink this. Pesto. It’s simpo 🙂 There is a foundation of 4 or 5 ingredients that are so versatile that they can please any palate, budget and best of all….it’s made by you, with the ingredients you love. Here’s a little encouragement from moi…..

Ingredients (for one 220 ml jar)

  • bunch of fresh basil (about 15-20 large leaves)
  • 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (or avocado oil if you prefer, but it doesn’t have as much flavour)
  • 15-20 raw almonds with skins (you can also choose walnut halves, pecans, brazil nuts or pinenuts (which is most traditional, but you’ll need to use more as they are smaller)
  • 4 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese (or asiago)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic (depending on your love for the stuff)
  • 6 marinated artichoke quarters (oil drained) (optional)
  • 10 pimento stuffed manzanilla green olives (optional)
  • pepper to taste (you have enough salt from cheese, artichoke and/or olives)
  • 1 -2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (this will keep the pesto bright green and add a bit of zing!)

(No) Cooking Instructions

  1. Take basil leaves off stem and wash well.
  2. Place basil leaves and all other ingredients in food processor.
  3. Blend everything together until everything is chopped and mixed together. You may wish a coarser or a smoother consistency.
  4. That’s it! You can make pesto out of SO many things. Just make sure you have a green (kale, brocollini for example), an leafy green herb (basil, cilantro, parsley), a nut (walnut, pinenut, almond), a healthy oil (olive, avocado, flaxseed) and a hard cheese (parmesan, asiago, romano). Be creative!
  5. Store in air tight container (glass jar preferred), in the fridge for up to a week.
  6. Pesto is good on almost everything! Mix it in to cooked pasta, use it on top of salmon, on toast, potato salad. It is really versatile, good for you and tastes great! It is a real crowd pleaser or makes a great homemade gift!