Pesto!

apple_mint

Curry_Queen wrote:

There's no precise measurements with this as you make it to taste but as a guide I use ... (stolen originally from a Jamie O recipe)

clove garlic
couple of good handfuls fresh basil
a handful pine nuts, lightly roasted in a pan or under grill
a handful of grated parmesan
couple of slugs of extra virgin olive oil
salt n pepper
dash of lemon juice

I just bash up the garlic, basil and nuts in my pestle and mortar ... use saucepan and rolling pin end if you don't have one or food processor I s'pose ... and add enough olive oil to make a sloppy paste, then add parmesan, seasonings and lemon juice to taste

Fantastic curry_queen! Is it possible to freeze this mix in small portions? I'd like to make up some batches if possible ... I feel a freezer filling day coming on ...:D

Curry_Queen

apple_mint wrote:

Fantastic curry_queen! Is it possible to freeze this mix in small portions? I'd like to make up some batches if possible ... I feel a freezer filling day coming on ...:D

I've never tried freezing it as it would never last that long here :rotfl:

I should imagine it would keep quite well in a jar in the fridge though as the oil would protect it from going off too quickly. I have read warnings about certain herbs giving off toxins when infused in oil and kept for long periods of time, but I'm afraid my memory fails me to remember the details, but I certainly think a week or two would be perfectly safe

apprentice_tycoon

You can use a thin smear of pesto on a pizza base in place of the tomato sauce or on the puff pastry one of those flat puff pastry sliced tomato tarts

student100

Pesto keeps in the fridge in the jar for about a month...

Curry_Queen

student100 wrote:

Pesto keeps in the fridge in the jar for about a month...

Do you mean HM stuff? I know commercially made pesto does, as it's full of preservatives, but I wouldn't have thought HM would last a month. I may be wrong though!

squeaky

Add five whole cloves of garlic to it and a kilo of mixed spices and it'll last forever

student100

mmm OK, I was thinking of the supermarket stuff (was forgetting which board I was in ). But I would have thought homemade stuff should still keep for a while (the jar of shop stuff I have here doesn't actually seem to have any preservatives etc. in, so I don't know why it should keep for vastly longer than homemade)...

Anyone want to risk an experiment...?

Trow

The Sacla stuff I have says keep for 'a couple of weeks' (honest!) and contains anti-oxidant.

Wickedkitten

I made a dish the other night with pesto that was pretty good. I can't remember the exact measurements but I took some chicken stock and put it in a pot to boil, added pasta to it and after about 10 minutes when the pasta was done, stirred in a jar of pesto and let that simmer for a bit until it was slightly thick. Added in a tin of plum tomatoes, some sauteed onion and garlic, and a tin of drained kidney beans, let that heat through and then served it with parmesan.

Aril

OH and I accidently created a new meal last night [we got our wires crossed!] which I thought I'd share here:
We mixed broccoli with cauliflowere and my intention had been to mix it with a condensed mushroom soup and top with grated cheddar. However, I left the pesto out by mistake and he mixed it with the soup. It made a really tasty meal.
Anyway it got me thinking how else I use it:
1.mix a bit in with the pizza sauce
2.add some to drop scones then top with creme fraiche and smoked salmon.
3.I usually buy the Lidl version but to make HM mix olive oil with fresh basil and parmesan. You can also add pinenuts [or sunflower seeds as a cheaper alternative]
Cheerio
Aril :rotfl: