Purple Pesto

perfect for pasta!

Nothing new about making pesto with green basil but it can be a little overpowering. Try using purple basil instead, sometimes known as black or opal basil. Purple basil is milder, slightly sweeter and surprisingly the finished sauce has a greenish hue!

Do not worry too much about measuring the ingredients and make pesto in a blender, it is quick and gives a good result.

Place in the blender:

½ bunch purple basil, leaves only; washed and dried
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
½-teaspoon sea salt
30g (1 packet) pine nuts
60g parmesan, grated
Extra-virgin olive oil to emulsify

Method:

Pour in a few good ‘slugs’ of oil, pulse the blender, add more oil and continue until you have a reasonably thick but well emulsified sauce.

Pour the sauce over freshly cooked pasta, garnish with basil leaves and grated parmesan.