Little Step No. 68
What to do:
Make this 5-min pesto!
Why this step works:
Earlier this week I made my own pesto. And even now, a few days later, I can still recall the delicious, salty, ‘basil-ness’ it added to our meal that night! Making pesto sounds like a complete faff but it actually took about 5 minutes. Time very well spent I decided, because my homemade pesto delivered so much more than just a tasty dinner. You might well be thinking, if you can buy a jar of pesto, why make your own?
Here’s why:
Taste-bud tingling - Pesto can convert many a boring meal into something yummy. And homemade pesto is SO MUCH TASTIER than you’ll ever get from a jar. Once you’ve made your own, you’ll never look back.
Super-nutritious – Not just tasty, pesto is highly nutritious too, especially when it’s fresh. Basil delivers protective antioxidant activity and helps to feed gut bacteria, garlic adds powerful immune support and pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan provide fats to feed our brains, nourish our skin and keep us feeling nicely full after meals.
Choose your own base oil - Perhaps the most important reason to make your own pesto is that you get to choose your own base oil. This is a really important topic that I’ll cover in more detail in the coming weeks. The takeaway for now though is that extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) is infinitely better for you than the cheaper, refined seed oils such as sunflower oil that you’ll often find in shop-bought pesto.
Pesto pause – Not only did my homemade pesto add taste and supercharged nutrition to our meal that night; there was something about the making of it that I particularly loved too. I chopped and added the ingredients to my blender, then watched as the ingredients gradually combined into an amazingly aromatic green mush! If you’ve ever had a go at mindfulness you’ll know that the ultimate aim is to be fully present, wherever you are. I find that trying out a new recipe, even just for 5 minutes provides the perfect opportunity for that.
Ready to have a go at making your own pesto?
You will need:
1 bunch of fresh basil (washed & dried)
2 crushed garlic cloves
3 tablespoons pine nuts
160 ml extra virgin olive oil
40g grated parmesan cheese
Freshly ground sea salt (to taste)
Method:
Add all ingredients (except salt) to a food processor or blender and process/blend until smooth (or you can keep it a bit chunkier if you prefer). Add salt to taste.
Top tip: Make a big batch then freeze in portions in an ice cube tray. Pour a little dash of olive oil over each ‘cube’ before placing in the freezer – this helps to protect the pesto. Once frozen, remove cubes from the tray and store in a bag in the freezer until you need them. Keeps well in the freezer for 6 months.
Pesto works well as a dip, drizzled over roasted vegetables, grilled fish, chicken or lamb cutlets, with sliced mozzarella and tomato or simply stirred through pasta.
Hope you enjoy this very tasty little step x