Saucy Sunday Ep. 2: Pesto
Absolutely the best-o!
Welcome to episode 2 of Saucy Sunday, where I share a recipe for a sauce that you can make and use a couple different ways through the week. Why, you ask? Because life’s too boring already, we don’t need to eat boring food too. And why should you make sauce when you can just buy it? Tell you what—try making this one and then tell me if that store-bought jar of Pesto you have in the fridge tastes better.
I have 2 rules for this series:
the sauce must be BANGER, and
must not take more than 20 minutes to put together
That’s it. Without further ado, presenting this Pesto sauce that’s great for summer since it adds a nice zing of freshness to a lot of your meals.
Pesto Sauce Recipe
Pesto may have started off primarily as a pasta sauce but everyone’s realised how delicious it is as a spread, a dip, a salad dressing—it just adds a lovely fresh yet rich flavour to your meals. And having it ready on hand means being able to add a flavour bomb to your meals in a matter of seconds.
Here’s how you can make a little jar of Pesto at home in less than 20 minutes:
Gather the following ingredients in a food processor1 and pulse the mixture a few times until everything is combined but still grainy. You may need to scrape the mixture down the walls of the processor bowl.
1/2 cup walnuts (Traditionally, pine nuts are used, but if you ask me, they’re too expensive. Walnuts are a good alternative for taste and texture but you can make a pesto with other nuts like almonds and cashews too.)
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese - grated (Use a good quality Parmesan cheese, it will make all the difference to your pesto. From what I know, you can’t substitute this with another type of cheese like cheddar or processed cheese because the texture will not match. I haven’t tried this though, so I can’t confirm.)
4 cloves garlic (Add a few more if you’re a garlic girl and believe that garlic is measured with the heart.)
1/2 lemon - juiced (This adds a nice fresh zing to the pesto.)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (You may need a little more depending on how things go while processing. If the mixture seems too dry while you’re processing and seems like it could use some liquid add some more.)
Once everything has combined, add 1 cup of basil leaves and pulse a little more. Don’t over-process here, your pesto could turn bitter. Just pulse for a few seconds so the leaves are fully mixed in. Remember, pesto is supposed to be grainy. It’s not meant to be a smooth paste, but more coarse.
Once you’re happy with the consistency, taste and adjust seasoning and store in an airtight jar. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on the top so it forms a seal and protects your pesto’s lovely green colour. It may oxidise as you open the jar and keep using it, but don’t worry, it stays fine for a week or so in the fridge.
How to use this Pesto Sauce:
As a pasta sauce: This one’s a no brainer. Boil pasta of choice until it’s just cooked, save some of the cooking water and drain off. In a bowl, toss the pasta and pesto together using some of the cooking water to loosen the sauce and make it more saucy. Toss until nicely emulsified. Top up with more cheese and serve.
As a salad dressing: Chop up veggies and protein into cubes. Toss with pesto and enjoy. I’d also add some feta cheese, walnuts and pasta to make this salad super hearty and delicious.
As a sandwich spread: A layer of pesto in your sandwich can take it to a whole other level. You can also try tossing your protein in pesto before adding it to the sandwich. Pesto can also make your avocado toast *chef’s kiss*.
For a quick meal: My friend Sreya (@darthdevi) once made this delicious summery meal that I tried with pesto instead - a layer of whipped greek yogurt, some meatballs and some pesto and I have no words. Give it a try and pop her a follow for more such amazing inspo.
That’s all I have for you today. If you missed Episode 1: Teriyaki, catch it here.
What would you like to see in the next episode of Saucy Sunday?
If you don’t have a food processor, you could use a traditional mixer-grinder, but be very careful that you don’t over process it as it could turn into a paste very quickly.