Pesto is a little bit like bolognese or chilli, everyone has their own version and think theirs is the best. Our resident food expert Vanessa Valentine is no exception, the difference is, hers IS the best.
Ingredients:
35g pine nuts
35g walnuts
15g fresh basil leaves
15g fresh spinach leaves
½ cup grated (Emmental) cheese (I’m using Grimbergen, an abbey cheese produced in Belgium)
2 garlic cloves
½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
This is a very basic pesto recipe, so I’ve included a bit of spinach to give it a new twist. Regular pesto is made only with basil leaves, but the spinach adds a fresh touch to the recipe.
I’m also using a very special cheese: Grimbergen. This is a Belgian brand producing also abbey and trappist beers. The cheese is a bit softer and saltier than regular emmental grated cheese. It worked very well for this pesto recipe, but in case you can’t find it at your local supermarket, emmental is a good replacement.
To prepare this pesto we’ll need a food processor.
Just put all the ingredients in the processor and mix until you get a creamy result. You can always spice it up with some salt and pepper to taste.
Keep it in a closed container in the fridge and it should stay good for a week.
Enjoy!