Fresh pesto with wholemeal pasta (there are lots of organic & /or spelt varieties around now) is a delicious and nutritious weekday dinner that won't take you long to make and you can make many different variations of it. Add a quick salad of shaved fennel, lemon zest + squeeze of juice & olive oil drizzle and dinner is on the table in 15 minutes.
Wash 2 bunches of basil and pick the leaves off the stem. In a small frypan, roast a handful of pine nuts until browned slightly. In a blender or food processor add the basil leaves, the pinenuts, 2 cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup of grated parmesan as well as a goog glug of olive oil. Whizz the ingredients and add S&P to taste. If you like a little heat, add a small amount of chill with no seeds for a little kick. Keep adding olive oil unti the mixture is lose but the olive is mixed through the mixture and not sitting on top. Then simply stir the fresh pesto through some freshly cooked wholemeal pasta and serve!Other variations of pesto include using spinach, flat-leaf parsley or rocket or adding in some kale instead of 100% basil and changing the pine nuts for walnuts or almonds. You can also add sun-dried tomatoes to add another layer of flavour and colour. Pesto is also great used the next day on a sandwich instead of using butter!
Image: Pinterest via garethsmorgan.com