You’ll need Basil, Garlic, Parmesan, Nuts, and Olive Oil.
Years before I had a food processor, friends would help me pulverise basil in the mortar. It took so long that we’d only make enough Pesto alla Genovese for one meal. If you can buy fresh pine nuts, it’s a treat to make pesto as the Genovese do. Otherwise, substitute Australian macadamias, but roast them slightly beforehand. As with pine nuts, roasting lifts the flavour.
While I still make pesto in the mortar and pestle, the food processor is essential when eight basil plants reach their peak at the same time. If you wash the basil leaves first, ensure you pat them dry before using.
While growing basil, remember to pick the flower heads out. It’s cruel to be kind, forcing the leaves to get bigger and slowing down the setting of seeds. Don’t be too brutal in cutting them back. Just pick off the big leaves and let the small ones grow. My basil plants keep supplying leaves from November to April.
When you’ve filled your jars with pesto, top them with olive oil to preserve.
Use pesto for all sorts of pasta shapes and add crème to make an extra-rich pasta sauce.Also spread on good bread, top a tablespoon onto soups, and serve alongside meat.