Ingredients
The following ingredients have 4 Servings
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled)
- 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 5 cups (120g) loosely-packed basil leaves
- 5 tablespoons (75ml) best-quality olive oil
- 2 ounces (60g) grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup (30g) pine nuts (walnuts, or shelled pistachios, very lightly toasted)
Instruction
- Smash the garlic and salt together in a mortar and pestle until smooth. (You can also use a blender or food processor. See headnote for instructions)
- Coarsely chop the basil leaves, then add them to the mortar and pounding them into the garlic as you add them.
- Once well-mashed, when they’ve become a fairly smooth paste, pound in the olive oil, adding it a spoonful at a time, until well-incorporated.
- Lastly, pound in the cheese, then the pine nuts.
- Continue mashing everything for a few minutes until the pesto is as smooth as possible.
