I always loved pesto basil but I never knew what ingredients were involved in making such an amazing sauce. Until one day, a good friend of mine brought homemade pesto basil pasta to school while we were on shift working together in the Fitness Centre. She knew exactly what I was thinking and even taught me how to make it with all the ingredients. It’s such a simple recipe but it takes quite a bit of trial and error to make it GOOD.
Nonetheless, Here is my recipe for the pesto basil and it took me countless tries to find the perfect balance.
Ingredients: (Makes 1 1/2 cups of pesto basil)
2 cups of fresh basil
1 cup of olive oil (can substitute with chicken broth for a creamy texture)
1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic (if you’re a garlic lover – add more!)
3 tablespoons of pine nuts (toasted)
Cooking Method:
- Using a non-stick pan, toss and toast the pine nuts on low-medium heat for 5-10 minutes until it’s lightly brown. The toasted pine nuts helps enhance the flavour of the pesto basil sauce.
- Throw all the following ingredients: fresh basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic and pine nuts in a blender or food processor.
- Adjust the level of intensity to “Pulse” on the machine.
- Once the food is all chopped up and you have a thick consistency, add the olive oil in slowly while you blend it (not all at once). This will make the pesto basil sauce thicker and create a nice mixture.
- Once it is all done, pour it into a mason jar and put it in the fridge.
Fresh Pesto basil should last up to 2 weeks in the fridge. I usually finish it in 1 week. It’s just soooooo good.