Traditionally made with basil, pinenuts, garlic and parmesan, pesto is now available in a multitude of different flavour combinations.
I’ve tried it with rocket, garlic scapes and sage in place of basil, almonds instead of pinenuts, and pecorino cheese instead of parmesan. All were delicious in their own unique way.
Our recent herb glut left us with an assortment of greens, so we decided to try a mixed herb pesto. It was a simple process – Pete gave the oregano a haircut, and I pinched off some lemon basil, purple basil and a couple of sage leaves – all of which were de-stemmed and rinsed.
These were then pulsed in the mini food processor with a single clove of garlic, pinenuts, parmesan and a little extra virgin olive oil. The mix was mostly oregano, which gave the pesto a very different flavour to the usual basil version.
I’ve stored the pesto in the fridge, covered with a little oil, but you could also freeze it in small ziplock bags (make sure you squeeze out as much air as possible). A great way to lock up a little bit of the garden for those cold winter months!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 