I am just going to say it outright, that I am not someone who cooks that often – and as a university student I am quite broke. SO, therefore, I cook to be economic rather than gourmet. NOT TO MENTION that this is usually what half of my kitchen endeavours turn out to be like:
Anyway. I got a magic bullet a couple of months ago when I actually had money, and I use it in most of the cooking I do that isn’t toast, two minute noodles or microwave lasagna. So; if you are lazy like me, then this Pesto sauce is probably a recipe for you.
I first wanted to make my own pesto when I realised how much I was paying for ordering pesto online, and realised I could make my own for about 1/10th of the price (and mine tastes better than the one I’d usually order online). So I went on google, looked up the recipe, it is very simple. And now I just make it intuitively.
So these are basically the ingredients you are going to be using. That is all. And yes, behind the food is a TARDIS cookie jar but I apologise for the lighting as I made this last night at like 9-10pm. So basically – all you need to make a decent portion size of pesto is
2 Handfuls of Basil from the supermarket
~75-100g of Pine Nuts (I would recommend you search around. The brand I got was a more expensive one as the supermarket I went to doesn’t supply cheap brands. But you can get pine nuts for a cheap price if you are willing to look around 2-3 places).
Olive Oil – One bottle of olive oil like that will last you a lot of pesto makings.
Salt & Pep (Always handy for all of my cooking. Or if you’re 75 years old and your tastebuds are basically dead)
2 Cloves of Garlic – When I first made the pesto I thought “ONLY 2 CLOVES I WON’T BE ABLE TO TASTE IT!!” so I put in like 6 cloves, and I had garlic breath for the next couple of days.
Aaaand if you want to make it with Gnocchi, then I recommend the Gnocchi too. But otherwise, anything else is fine.
So, calculating the cost of it
Basil – $5
75g of Pine Nuts – $2.30
Olive Oil, Garlic, Salt and Pepper – I’m going to guess about 70 cents, if that.
So you get $8 of cost. But, then you factor in you can get like 4-5 servings from this sauce. SO.
TOTAL: $1.60-$2 per seving
So, the first thing I do is I pull the leaves off of the basil, (after rinsing them with water, just to be safe!) and then I crush the garlic cloves, I add some salt and pepper, and some olive oil! All into the magic bullet container. Easy!
Now, pesto recipes ask for roasted pine nuts. But, I don’t have an oven in my kitchen *shakes fist*.
BUT, what I do is I just put the pine nuts in a pan, on a stovetop, and then I put on a high heat until they start to brown on the outsides. It’s an alternative that I use. I’ve found it works.
And you will notice on the bottom right of the picture that a basil leaf fell off of my hand and onto the kitchen counter. Basil leaves (especially when moistened) are quite evil and have attachment issues and will tend to do this. Then the appearance of them in your kitchen just keeps coming back, like herpes.
(Sorry for making you lose your appetite with this picture)
SO, ANYWAY! Now you have roasted your pine nuts. You place them into your magic bullet container with the other ingredients. Being the fat leviathan I am, I add a bit more olive oil (and salt, because what’s the point of cooking food if your arteries aren’t clogged and you’re not dehydrated). Then, you screw on your blade, and you blend it all together!
For the full effect, I recommend you play this soothing elevator music for 10 seconds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj0ChLVTpaA&feature=kp
Ok, so now your pesto should look something like this:
(Feel free to taste it. If you don’t do that, then you won’t know what to add to it, or what it is lacking)
So there you have it, so far you have made your pesto sauce. The one I made last night wasn’t as green as I normally end up having it. In the past, I have made pesto sauces that look more green.
So, now you cook your gnocchi (or whatever else you’re using to put your pesto on). With gnocchi, you basically just bring water to the boil, then you add the gnocchi, and then you will notice the gnocchi rises from the bottom of the water, to the top, and then the water boils again, like this:
And that’s when you know it is time to strain your gnocchi, then mix your pesto sauce through it!!!
As with most cooking shows, I will not actually show you the finished product and show you a better looking one I made beforehand.
(That was from the other week. It turned out a lot more green than the other one)
But no, just kidding! This is what it turned out like this time!
But, in all seriousness, it is quite a simple recipe, and not too expensive (A little pesto sauce spreads a long way). To enhance the flavour, drizzle some oil (and if you’re me, place a bit more salt onto it).
I hope your enjoyed reading it. And this is just one reason why I love my magic bullet.
thommy dee 