Perfect Pesto

Pesto is a magical ingredient and a staple in my kitchen; it can be used as a dip or a sauce in pastas and salads. I used to buy pesto from the store until I discovered the magic of food processors. I only have a little handheld processor, but it is the perfect size for making dips and sauces. If you don't want to commit to a giant food processor, I highly recommend getting a small inexpensive one to keep in the pantry.

When I started experimenting with different pestos I settled on a recipe that created a lovely flavour and texture. I also included a few extra ingredients—spinach and sun-dried tomatoes—to give the pesto more nutrients because what is life without some sneaky nutrients?

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, juice
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups (about 3 oz) baby spinach leaves
• 2/3 cup (about 1 oz) fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 1/4 cup fresh parmesan or romano cheese, grated
• 1/2 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes
• salt to taste (no more than 1/2 a tsp)

Directions:

1. Add oil, lemon juice, garlic and basil leaves to a food processor and pulse about 8 times until the mixture is relatively blended and the basil is chopped into rough pieces.
2. Add the baby spinach leaves and pulse until puréed.
3. Add the pine nuts, grated cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes individually pulsing slightly between each ingredient to combine the pesto.
4. Once the pesto is the desired texture put it in a jar in the fridge. It will keep in the fridge for up to three days.
5. You can also freeze the pesto by putting spoonfuls in ice-cube trays and freezing them, then removing the cubes of pesto as you need them. (I like to do this because I usually cannot finish the entire recipe in three days.)

• TIP: Try mixing the pesto with Greek yoghurt (1 part pesto to 3 parts yoghurt) for a really delicious dip.

Makes about 1.5 cups of PERFECT pesto!

Printable version of this recipe