I first decided to make homemade pesto because our basil plant was dying and I felt a bit sorry for it (true story) so looked up how to make pesto. Since then, I have fallen in love with it and much, much, much prefer it to store bought pesto. I basically buy a basil plant, use it fresh for a while and when it starts to die, I make it into pesto which I then freeze and therefore can use whenever I need to. This is great on pasta, gnocchi, chicken and within other sauces to give them depth.
Start by toasting pine nuts and then blending them with parmesan (or hard) cheese, garlic and olive oil. There are different ratios on the internet, so do experiment with your own, but I used 100g pine nuts, 100g cheese. 4 garlic cloves and 400ml olive oil. I find that it is a nice ratio to make more of, or less of depending on what you need. I make a base, and then split it into different portions so that I can make a variety of pestos but if you are only making one, then you can place the herbs in at the same time and it is as easy as that! |
I made (from left to right): green pesto, red pesto and rosemary pesto. The quantities for each one are listed below, using the WHOLE of the above pesto. As I said, I split them out and use less.
For only basil (green pesto) or rosemary you need to add 150g. This is a lot more than you will realise but try to avoid using the stalks as much as possible. Stalks add a woody flavour (which you might enjoy) but for a richer, more intense pesto, try to use only the leaves.
For red pesto, use 150g basil and 100g sun dried tomatoes. I used completely dried tomatoes for this batch, so if yours are in oil or water, dry them as much as possible first or use less oil.
I have read that you can create pesto using any herbs, and from what I can tell, you would use 150g per 100/100/4/400 ratio. I found the rosemary to be a bit too much for my tastes, but have stored it for use within other sauces. I will try it again with other herbs (we have a huge rosemary bush so I have it on tap!).
For only basil (green pesto) or rosemary you need to add 150g. This is a lot more than you will realise but try to avoid using the stalks as much as possible. Stalks add a woody flavour (which you might enjoy) but for a richer, more intense pesto, try to use only the leaves.
For red pesto, use 150g basil and 100g sun dried tomatoes. I used completely dried tomatoes for this batch, so if yours are in oil or water, dry them as much as possible first or use less oil.
I have read that you can create pesto using any herbs, and from what I can tell, you would use 150g per 100/100/4/400 ratio. I found the rosemary to be a bit too much for my tastes, but have stored it for use within other sauces. I will try it again with other herbs (we have a huge rosemary bush so I have it on tap!).
I store my pesto in the freezer. I use flexible muffin cases, fill them to about half with my pesto, then freeze them. When they have solidified, I remove them from the muffin cases and store them in tupperware boxes or food bags. That way they are in individual portion sizes ready to go when you need them. I didn't photograph them, but my favourite are these moulds. Trust me, these are great fun! |