Pesto

As this is my first entry, I will start off with something easy. This is also my first test of the lay out and format. There might be changes along the way. Anyway, this simple pesto recipe is a real beginner level dish which goes back to my days as a student. Weekdays I would only use ketchup on my pasta but then I would go wild come the weekend. Give it a try.

Ingredients:

40g pine nuts

45g basil leafs

50g parmesan

2 cloves of garlic

100ml extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Start off by roasting the pine nuts on medium heat. Becareful to move them about so they don't burn. You just want to roast them lightly until they start giving off a pleasant smell. As soon as they are roasted, remove them from the pan and keep for later.

Wash and dry well the fresh basil leafs with a paper towel.

Chop the basil roughly. Over chopping will break the leafs and all the flavour will be on the cutting board and not in the pesto.

Crush and cut the garlic into smaller pieces.

And finally you need to cut the parmesan it into smaller pieces.

Add it all to a foodprocessor or a blender. Alternatively you can go old-chool on it and crush it all well in a motar. In this case add a bit of coarse salt to help the crushing along.

Drizzle in about the extra virgin olive oil and blitz it a few times until it has the consistency you like. Scrape down the sides a few times to make sure all gets well mixed.

Taste it for salt. Leave the pesto for and hour at least to let the flavours mix well. You can keep the pesto in the fridge for up to 5 days. Add a bit of extra oil on top which will help to preserve the pesto. But hey, why would you want to keep it for five days?

Add a couple of spoonfuls to some freshly cooked pasta of your choice. Toss it to coat the pasta well.

Here's the final result. Serve on a warm plate.