I first made pesto when I had an explosion of basil and parsley in the garden one year.
Not content to let it all go to seed, I blitzed up jars and jars of it, and gave it away to anyone who came through the door, as well as to pretty much everyone in the community. The beauty of pesto is that you can use any soft herb or green, even pūhā and watercress, and a whole range of nuts or seeds, meaning you can use what you have on hand.
Makes 1 large or 2 small jars
Ingredients
- 4 packed cups fresh herbs and greens — basil, rocket, parsley, pūhā or watercress (stalks removed), coriander, carrot tops, kawakawa leaves (stalks removed);
- a mix of herbs is great!
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2/3 cup roasted nuts or seeds —
- cashews, almonds, walnuts, pinenuts, pumpkin seeds, etc.
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
- to drizzle
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
- Salt
Directions
Place herbs, garlic and nuts/seeds into a blender or food processor and pulse until chopped and just combined. A little bit chunky is okay! You may need to scrape the mixture from the sides of the blender so that it is evenly processed.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice and Parmesan and blend again. If you like your pesto chunky, don’t blend too long. If you like a smoother pesto, blend longer to reach your desired consistency.
You can also make this pesto by finely chopping the herbs by hand, then pounding all the ingredients in a mortar and pestle.
Season with salt to taste, then spoon the mixture into small jars, and drizzle a thin layer of olive oil over the top.
Will keep in the fridge for up to a week.
Recipe extracted from Kai Feast: Food stories and recipes from the Maunga to the Moana by Christall Lowe, published by Bateman Books, RRP $59.99.
