Does a pesto have to contain basil and pine nuts to make it a "pesto"? Is it like Champagne and Feta cheese, governed by EU regulations which stipulate contents and area of production? I'm not sure if I care. Give me something vaguely green and something vaguely nutty and I'll blend it together with olive oil and call it a pesto.
You'll see plenty of evidence of this, trust me.
This 'recipe' is for a chunky pesto like this:
Not the most visibly appealing granted.
Nor the most sociable of smells.
It's not low fat either (you can tell by the oily sheen).
It is good for you though.
So the vague recipes continue.
- Large handfuls of washed wild garlic (good for your digestive system, immune system and also your cardiovascular system)
- Large handful of nuts. (I used walnuts which are a good source of Omega 3 fatty acids and studies show that they reduce LDL cholesterol. This is a good thing.) I also toasted them.
- Juice of one juicy lemon, not one of those hard stone-like ones. (Full of vitamin C)
- Olive oil (I use Extra-virgin olive oil which also reduces LDL cholesterol)
- Salt. If you like
Throw it all in a food processor and blitz it up. Cook your pasta and then mix it all up together and it will look like this:
If you fancier a smoother pesto check out this one on Frugal Living. I'm not sure what Lucy has done differently but I'm suspecting a combination of a much better food processor and much more olive oil! It's such a beautiful green. Plus, it's a great site to visit if you are looking to save money.
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