Homemade: Fresh Basil Pesto

I originally wrote this post as a guest post over on Red Parka Diaries about a year ago. Since it's that time of year again, and I'm looking at basil plants with a limited lifespan left, I thought I'd share it here. One of my all time favourite things to make is fresh, homemade basil pesto. Yum.

For some reason, whenever I grow basil [every year], I'm always cautious to use it up too soon, so I end up being overly sparing with it. And then, of course, the plants go to flower, the season comes to a close and I have all this basil that didn't get used. It's like clockwork. The best way I know of to use up excess basil is to harvest it in big chunks and make pesto. It's super easy, it tastes delicious and you can adjust the ingredients so that it's perfectly to your liking [hello too much parmesan]. Here's what I do.

Ingredients:

fresh basil - a good handful, torn or chopped

garlic - 1/2 clove, crushed

pine nuts, lightly toasted - 1/4 to 1/2 cup, more or less

sea salt

cracked black pepper

parmesan cheese, finely grated - 1/4 to 1/2 cup, more or less

olive oil - 1/4 cup, more or less

optional: fresh lemon juice

You may note that I'm a bit vague with the quantities in this list. That's because I don't tend to use set quantities, rather, I just start out with however much basil I have, and make it to a consistency and flavour that I like. You can taste it and adjust as you need to along the way. 

Method:

I use a mortar and pestle for making pesto. You could use a food processor, but I prefer the rustic, homemade appeal of using brute force. So pop your basil leaves into the bowl, along with the garlic, pine nuts and some salt and pepper to taste, and bash away. You want it to form a paste, and you can either leave it more chunky or keep on bashing it til it's a bit smoother, your call. Next add your parmesan and give that a good stir through. Then pour in some olive oil and stir to get your paste nice and smooth. At this stage, you'll want to have a taste and see what you think - is there enough parmesan added? Is the balance of flavours about right, or is it too heavy on the basil? Is it too dry, in which case you'll need more oil? So many variables, but I find that it changes every time I make it, and it's very easy to adjust ingredients on the go. 

So basically, make whatever adjustments you think it needs, and you're done. Homemade basil pesto! Something to note, if you intend to store it for a day or two you'll need extra oil, and make sure that when you put it in a jar, the top is covered in oil. You can also add a dash of lemon juice to help stabilise the colours if you're making it a bit ahead of eating time. This gives it a nice fresh lift too.

Three of my favourite ways to eat fresh homemade basil pesto:

1. stirred through cooked pasta with extra pine nuts and parmesan for good measure.

2. as a dip, along with crackers, a sharp cheese and a chilled white wine [you could substitute pine nuts for cashews if you're planning on serving it this way].

3. as a base on homemade pizza - fresh basil pesto on Turkish bread, topped with roasted sweet potato, spinach, feta and topped with more cheese of your choice. 

I honestly think that fresh homemade basil pesto is one of life's loveliest treats. And it's so easy! I hope you've enjoyed seeing how I do it.

What's your favourite way to use up lots of basil?