THE BEST BASIL PESTO

The key here is adding the basil right at the end so that it doesn’t lose its flavour or colour.

Makes 1 cup EASY GREAT VALUE Preparation: 15 minutes pine nuts 80 g Parmesan 120 g, finely grated garlic 2 cloves, finely grated basil leaves 3 bunches extra virgin olive oil ¾ cup sea salt 1t

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Toast the pine nuts on a baking tray, tossing once halfway through, until golden brown, about 5–7 minutes. 2 Transfer to a food processor and allow to cool. Add the cheese and garlic and pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add the basil and place the top back on. With the motor running, add the oil in a slow and steady stream until the pesto is almost smooth, with just a few flecks of green, about 1 minute. Season with salt.

Cook’s note: If you want to serve this with pasta, use long pasta such as spaghetti or linguine; the pesto sticks to the longer strands. Place the pesto and 2 T butter in a bowl, then add the cooked pasta and ¼ cup cooking water. Toss, using tongs, until the pasta is coated in the pesto. Add more water if necessary and season with salt.

The ancient Romans used pecorino in moretum, an early version of pesto, but any hardcheese will do.Olive oil helps to incorporate the cheese and preserves the end result.Basil is used in the classic version, but coriander, mint, celery leaves or rocket canalso be used. Pine nuts are traditionally used, but other seeds or toasted nutscan be substituted.