Pesto was a lifesaver for us when we had a supper fussy toddler (Ezra) as it was one of the few things he would eat, aside from plain pasta with butter.
I still rely on pesto from jars for a super fast dinner, but for a truly delicious pesto we make our own.
I can’t credit any one person for this particular recipe as I pretty much cobbled it together from a variety of recipes online, after checking out Jamie Oliver’s Pesto Recipe and deciding to put a twist on it.
You could make pesto in less than the time it takes to boil the pasta, especially if you whizz it in a food processor. But since I involve my little helpers and we use a pestle and mortar, it takes a bit longer, but it’s a lot more fun (and I’m convinced that grinding by hand helps bring out the flavours)!
Ingredients
Fresh basil – about 3 handfuls
Fresh parsley – a couple of handfuls (we use a higher basil to parsley ratio)
Pine nuts or Cashew Nuts (we prefer the latter)
Garlic – 3-4 cloves
Grated Parmesan Cheese – about a cup
Olive Oil
Black Pepper
Sea Salt
How to Make Pesto (with the Babes)
Toast the nuts lightly in an open pan on the stove before transferring to the mortar and grinding with pestle. Chop garlic as small as possible, add to mortar and grind some more. Pluck the basil and parsley leaves, shred or chop finely and grind with the mix. Add the cheese and keep grinding and mixing, savouring the aroma! Chuck in a couple of glugs of olive oil. Season to taste with black pepper and salt. Serve in spoonfuls over warm pasta.
Tip: We like to top off the dish with some stir-fried diced bacon and mushrooms.
Fresh pesto is also great spread over grilled chicken breasts or salmon parcels.
Enjoy!
Love this recipe. My boys adore nuts and it’s great to introduce them to more adult flavours. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Lucy! It’s such a simple recipe, the kids love mashing the pesto up and it’s very adaptable to your tastes too. Glad you like :-)
Oh wow, Mama that looks just delicious. I need to get O hammering away at making pasta! Nuts hate me so thinking nut free! Thanks for linking up x
I love home made pesto pasta, just wish the basil in my green house would take. I am in the south of France this week and it grows like a weed here, I am so jealous!
I can only imagine Fiona, something about the soil out there just makes things grow and taste better it would seem! And I’m jealous that you’re in South of France ;-)
It is yummy and very easy to adapt, so I’m sure you could do away with the nuts altogether. O would love it, get him mashing :-)
How lovely to get the kids involved :)
The babes do enjoy cooking, I should get them involved more often — it just creates so much more time… and mess!