Don't stint on the fresh basil - this is the most wonderful sauce in the world! And it tastes completely different from the ready-made pesto sold in jars.
2 garlic cloves
50g/ 2 oz/ ? cup pine nuts
40g/ 1 ? oz/ 1 cup fresh basil leaves
150ml/ 1/4 pint/ 2/3 cup olive oil
50g/ 2 oz/4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
60ml/ 4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
450g / 1 lb spaghetti salt and ground black pepper
Serves 4
Peel the garlic and process in a blender or food processor with a little salt and the pine nuts until broken up. Add the basil leaves and continue mixing to a paste.
Gradually add the olive oil, little by little, until the mixture is creamy and thick.
Beat in the butter and season with ground black pepper. Beat in the cheese. Alternatively, you can make the pesto by hand using a pestle and mortar.
Store the pesto sauce in a jar, with a layer of olive oil on top to exclude the air, in the fridge until needed.
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet, until al dente. Drain well.
Toss the pasta with half the 6pesto and serve in warm bowls, with the remaining pesto sauce spooned over the top.
2 garlic cloves
50g/ 2 oz/ ? cup pine nuts
40g/ 1 ? oz/ 1 cup fresh basil leaves
150ml/ 1/4 pint/ 2/3 cup olive oil
50g/ 2 oz/4 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
60ml/ 4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
450g / 1 lb spaghetti salt and ground black pepper
Serves 4
Peel the garlic and process in a blender or food processor with a little salt and the pine nuts until broken up. Add the basil leaves and continue mixing to a paste.
Gradually add the olive oil, little by little, until the mixture is creamy and thick.
Beat in the butter and season with ground black pepper. Beat in the cheese. Alternatively, you can make the pesto by hand using a pestle and mortar.
Store the pesto sauce in a jar, with a layer of olive oil on top to exclude the air, in the fridge until needed.
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water according to the instructions on the packet, until al dente. Drain well.
Toss the pasta with half the 6pesto and serve in warm bowls, with the remaining pesto sauce spooned over the top.