Some people will ask you what your favourite food is or what was the food that made you want to become a chef?
That's an easy answer for me. Pesto is one of the first things I learned how to make and one of the first dishes I fell in love with. I loved picking basil in the garden with my mom and using her old food processor to blend all the ingredients and make a sauce.
When we would make it, we would have to watch the oven with such attention because we were afraid the nuts were going to burn every time. Pine nut's are super expensive, so you can't let them brown too fast.
I used to loved the smell of the fresh basil after being washed and the vivid green colour that would come out in the end. I usually make a large batch every summer and freeze it for gloomy winter days when you long for sunshine.
About ten years ago, when I worked in Italy. I learned to make pesto from the people who were from the region that it comes from. I learned about the small leaves being better than the big ones and how the smaller the plant, the sweeter that flavour is.
This year I didn't have a fun row of basil in my garden, but I still wanted to make a batch of pesto from whatever I had. Only one large basil plant, full of nice leaves. I tried to pick the leaves that weren't so big, making a sweeter flavour.
After getting the idea to make pesto, I quickly realized I had no tools to make it. I currently don't own a blender or a food processor, so how am I going to make it smooth? I would have to do it by hand and make it as smooth as possible.
So if you ever wanted to make pesto , but have none of the tools, this is the recipe for you!
No Tool Pesto
5 cups basil, washed and blanched
1 clove garlic, minced
70g grated parmesan cheese
75g toasted almonds, chopped finely
200ml olive oil
Directions
-Wash basil leaves and blanch in salted water
-Shock basil in ice water and strain out
-Squeeze the basil, so that there is no water left inside
-Chop basil finely and add it to a bowl
-Mince garlic and add it to the the basil
-Add the grated parmesan and toasted almonds to the mix
-While stirring, stream in the olive oil until all ingredients are well combined
-Season the mixture with salt and pepper
*you can eat this fresh or freeze it in a jar to enjoy later
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