Thermomix

Changing Seasons

/ sbaskitchen / Leave a comment

The nights are getting colder, the frosts are beginning and now the summer produce that just didn’t want to shut down, is doing so!  While I’ll be sad to see the end of the zucchinis, beans, basil and even tomatoes, I must admit, I’ve been waiting in the wings to prepare the soil for more plantings…

I’d been wanting to bring in the last of the basil for pesto, and it having survived the first frost, didn’t wait any longer.  After the icy beginning to a frosty day, the sun shone brightly, so it was perfect for grabbing the snips, a large basket, and heading down to the patch!  I worked from one planting to the next, and when I’d finished, I couldn’t help but take a pic of the loaded basket sitting in the sunshine.

The last of the basil for the season.

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Basil Pesto

 

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Basil Pesto
Prep Time
10 mins
 

This is the recipe I've made and used in my cooking for a local café  since I began cooking for them in 2018.  This pesto is generously dolloped on top of my Roast Pumpkin, Feta and Spinach Quiches, and was a key component in my Chicken Pesto dish.  At home we love it dolloped, together with some crème fraîche, into a bowl of Roasted Tomato Soup, spread onto bruschetta, tossed through pasta and so much more.

Category: Condiments
Style: Italian
Keyword: Pesto
Quantity: 250 grams
Author: sbaskitchen
Ingredients
  • 100 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 100 g pine nuts
  • 30 g fresh basil leaves
  • 25 g Maffra Cloth Aged Cheddar (or Parmesan Cheese) grated (see notes)
  • 10 g garlic crushed
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt flakes
  • 1/4 tsp coarse ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until it becomes a smoothish chopped paste.

  2. Pour into a glass jar, cover with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent oxidation, seal and refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

Thermomix Instructions:
SPEED 6 / 5 SECONDS three times (if necessary), scraping down after each time.

Cheese:
I love to use a locally made cheese, Maffra Cloth Ashed Cheddar, but of course, the traditional Parmesan can be used as well.

How we use basil pesto:

  • Dollop, together with a little crème fraîche into roasted tomato soup
  • Dollop into a bowl of hot minestrone soup.
  • Dollop onto quiches, frittata.
  • Spread on pizza bases and bruschetta.
  • Toss through pasta.
  • Add to creamy sauces.

Storage:

  • Refrigerate for up to a week.
  • Can be frozen - thaws quickly.

 

Homemade Basil Pesto
Homemade Basil destined for the freezer.

 

Recipe Links:

 

 

 

 

 

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With many thanks and kindness,
Julie.