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.
- 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
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Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and process until it becomes a smoothish chopped paste.
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Pour into a glass jar, cover with a thin layer of olive oil to prevent oxidation, seal and refrigerate until ready to use.
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.