How to make pesto

How to store pesto

• Put in a sterilised jar and cover the surface of the pesto with a layer of olive oil. Top with a lid or cling film and keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• To freeze, leave out the Parmesan, spoon into ice-cube trays and open-freeze. Tip into freezer bags and keep frozen for up to 3 months. To use, defrost the required amount and stir through some Parmesan.

How to use

• As well as stirring it into pasta, add a teaspoonful to a bowl of minestrone soup for an instant flavour boost.
• Spread onto griddled bruschetta and top with fresh ricotta for a tasty starter.
• Slather over chicken breasts or a piece of white fish, wrap in prosciutto and bake for a simple supper.
• When cooking mussels, add a couple of teaspoons to the broth.
• Stir into crème fraîche or mascarpone and use as a dip with spring veg.
• It’s perfect with simple antipasti such as mozzarella, tomatoes, prosciutto and crusty bread.
• Stir it into mashed potato for a great flavour.

Pine nuts

In Europe, these are the seeds of the stone pine, a tree that grows all over the Mediterranean. This variety (pictured) is long and thin, with a mild flavour and creamy texture. Also available is the short, stubby variety of pine nut from Asia. This has a more pungent flavour that can be overpowering, especially when used in pesto. So look out for the long, thin variety in delicatessens and specialist food shops. Pine nuts are difficult to harvest – hence their cost – but well worth it for the end result. They can become rancid very easily, so store them in the fridge or even the freezer.

Alternative sauces made from pesto

Using pesto as a base you can then add extra ingredients to jazz up the sauce even further.

Salsa Di Noci
Replace the pine nuts in the Classic basil pesto (see recipe, below) with double the amount of walnuts. Replace the basil with flatleaf parsley and process to make a really thick paste. It is fantastic when stirred through pasta with extra Parmesan and a final splash of double cream.

Salsa verde
This pungent, flavoursome sauce is great served with grilled fish and meat. Omit the Parmesan from the Classic basil pesto (see recipe, below) and add 2 tsp capers, 2 anchovies, chopped, the juice of 1 lemon and a handful of chopped flatleaf parsley.

Salsa Agrodolce
Leave out the Parmesan from the Classic basil pesto (see recipe, below) and add 1 tbsp sultanas and 1 tbsp each of honey and white wine vinegar. Heat gently in a small saucepan to make a great sweet-and-sour sauce to serve with meat or fish. It’s particularly good with grilled oily fish such as sardines or tuna.