Basil Pesto

Summary

Ingredients

• 100 g basil, with a stem
• 60 g pine nuts, toasted
• 20 g arlic, peeled
• 30 g parmesan, rated
• 2 mint leaves, fresh
• 50 ml rapeseed oil
• 200 ml olive oil, cold pressed
• 4 g salt, sea salt, fleur de sel
• 1 pinch lemon peel, grated

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Instructions

1. Roast pine nuts over low heat until hazelnut brown without fat. Rasp cheese. Peel the garlic and chop it slightly. Pluck the basil leaves and finely chop the stalks. First, use a hand blender to chop the stems without oil into a pulp. Gradually add the basil leaves, the roasted pine nuts, garlic, mint and the rapeseed oil and puree everything finely (olive oil becomes bitter if it is whipped too quickly and for too long with a hand blender!).
2. Now stir in the olive oil, grated Parmesan cheese and the salt (but this is only a guideline, I used this amount. Caution - salt is not just salt!) With a wooden spoon. Season to taste with a little grated lemon zest. The finely grated lemon peel gives the pesto a particularly soft, fresh note. Stir well again and pour into a jam jar or something similar. Make sure everything is covered with olive oil.
3. The pesto can be kept for many weeks in the refrigerator when stored open.