I love those crunchy basil pesto dips that are sold in the supermarkets, but I don’t love the additives and preservatives that go with them – “the numbers” as I call them.
I’ve become a bit more stringent about reading food labels as I’ve learnt more about food, how it is produced and how many food-like products there are in the supermarkets.
Food-like products – something which looks like food, smells like food, but is made from highly processed inputs, chemicals and numbers.
My general rule of thumb these days is if there is something in the ingredients list that I don’t recognise or sounds like a chemistry lesson that I missed, then I don’t eat it.
So it is always delightful to go to the garden in the middle of summer and pick fresh basil from my garden and turn it into pesto.
This pesto is so quick and easy and forgiving, I can make it in about 5 minutes, not including time picking the basil, as I inevitably get side-tracked onto picking tomatoes, thinning seedlings or watering pots when I am out there.
Once I return to the kitchen it is about 5 minutes from basil to pesto. Here’s my recipe:
5 Minute Almond and Basil Pesto
A quick easy addition to give your soup or salad a bit of zing
- 1 big bunch basil (fresh from the garden is best)
- 1/3 cup raw almonds
- 100 gm parmesan or romano cheese (finely grated)
- 1/2 cup olive oil (depending on the consistency you require)
Place basil, almonds and grated cheese into the bowl of your food processor
Process it for around 30 seconds until the leaves "disappear".
Keep the processor running and drizzle in some good quality, local olive oil – the Parmesan will absorb a lot of oil, so check the texture as you go until it is what you like.
It will take around 60 seconds to process this all up. Don’t over process it or you will lose all the delicious texture
If you prefer you can use a good quality avocado or nut oil to change up the flavour of this classic condiment.
Serve with your favourite flatbread toasted, or add it to a warming winter soup to really help it sparkle.
The pesto can also be used in place of salad dressing to finish off a fresh tossed garden salad too.
