Hey presto - pesto!

There is always a pot of basil by the kitchen sink that I lovingly tend to. We pick the leaves to use in a mozzarella and basil salad, which is one of the children’s favourite dishes. Last weekend, Felix fancied pasta for lunch, so we decided to make pesto. I offered a little advice and he concocted this pesto and was mighty proud with the tasty result.

Makes 2 portions

Ingredients

2 handfuls of pine nuts
75g (23/4oz) Parmesan
1 clove of garlic, peeled
1 large bunch of fresh basil, including stalks
2 tbsp olive oil
A squeeze of lemon juice

Method 

Toast the pine nuts by dry frying them without oil for a couple of minutes. Shake the pan from time to time to toast them all over. Put the chunk of cheese in the blender, followed by the pine nuts, garlic and basil then, with the engine running, drizzle in the oil and lemon juice and whizz into a chunky sauce.