I’ve been growing my own basil quite successfully.
I love basil, it is high in antioxidants and is considered one of the most nutritious herbs. It is rich in vitamin A and C and contains potassium, magnesium, iron. I’ve added it to homemade tomato sauce and soup but what else?
Well, pesto was the obvious answer.
I was a little tentative about making my first batch but it was surprisingly easy. It tastes so much better fresh than from a store.
Claire’s homemade pesto
Ingredients
Large bunch of basil (80g) – if you’re short on basil you can fill it out with spinach for a healthy spin.
50g pine nuts
50g parmesan (or vegetarian alternative)
120ml olive oil, plus extra for storing
2 garlic cloves
I also added a little lemon juice, chilli flakes (for an extra kick) and a sprinkling of pepper.
Method
- Heat a small frying pan over a low heat. Cook the pine nuts until golden, shaking occasionally. Put the basil, garlic, parmesan into a blender. Now it’s just about processing all the ingredients while you slowly drizzle in olive oil, then season.
- Pour the pesto into a sterilised jar and cover with a little extra oil, then seal and store in the fridge. It will keep in a fridge for up to a week.
It was easy, quick and the flavour was so intense and delicious; a perfect combination of flavours. And the house smells REALLY good.
You can also freeze pesto in small jars or plastic containers. The next time you want to add some quick flavour to pasta, or meat, or salad, you’ve got it in your freezer. Put a layer of olive oil on top of the pesto, to prevent air from reaching it while it’s frozen – the minced basil oxidizes and turns dark quickly without the olive oil.
Pesto is versatile and the great thing about making a big jar is that you can easily dip into it to dress up a meal. You can mix it with pasta, rice, spread it on meat, add it to a dip, spread it in a sandwich or on a pizza, mix it in soups or even make a salad dressing.
Pesto and salmon are a perfect match. Salmon is an excellent source of protein and is rich in heart healthy omega 3 fatty acids.
My baked salmon and pesto recipe is a simple, healthy dish.
Ingredients
Skinless boneless salmon fillets
Homemade pesto
1 lemon
Pepper
Olive oil for light drizzle
Method
Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
Tear two pieces of foil (big enough to wrap salmon with some overlapping).
Lay a salmon fillet, skin-side down on tin foil, squeeze the lemon juice over the fillet and season with black pepper.
Spoon a good tablespoon of homemade pesto on each salmon fillet.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Pull the foil edges together and scrunch them up to lightly seal the parcel.
Repeat these steps to make your second salmon fillet parcel and place both foil parcels on a baking tray.
(You could also place sliced tomatoes slices on each fillet and sprinkle with a bit of additional parmesan cheese.)
Put the baking tray into your hot oven and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your fillets.
Remove the tray from the oven and let it stand for a minute before carefully unwrapping and checking that the salmon is cooked through (the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork).
This is lovely served with salad, you could also serve it with new potatoes, rice, pasta, garlic bread, grilled or steamed vegetable or even chunks of crusty bread. I honestly can’t remember eating more delicious salmon! And the best thing is that you can whip up a decent looking meal like this almost effortlessly.
Pesto and chicken are a marriage made in heaven.
Here’s my easy and delicious recipe…
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons of homemade pesto
85g soft cheese (you can use low fat if you wish) or mascarpone
Salt, pepper and chilli flakes to season
Garlic infused olive oil for drizzling
3 sliced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
1 sliced red onion (you could also add red and green peppers)
Handful basil leaves
Method
Heat oven to 200°C/400°F/gas 6.
Place the chicken breasts in a lightly oiled shallow baking dish.
Use a small sharp knife to make 3 slits in chicken breasts (depending on size).
Mix together the cream cheese and homemade pesto.
Carefully spoon the mixture into slits in the chicken breasts and smooth over the breast (this is a little messy).
Season the chicken with salt, pepper and chilli flakes.
Drizzle the garlic infused olive oil over the breasts.
Bake for 30 minutes until the chicken starts to turn golden and is cooked through. (Add sliced tomatoes and sliced red onion for last 10 minutes of cooking.)
Sprinkle with basil leaves and serve with potato wedges (tossed with rosemary, thyme, smoked paprika and oregano) or mop it up with crusty bread and a green salad. Yum! You could also serve it with new potatoes sprinkled with a little paprika and roasted Mediterranean vegetables.
You could also use grated mozzarella instead of the soft cheese or mascarpone. Another option is to wrap the chicken breasts in serrano ham.
It’s very tasty and quick to rustle together.
My homemade pesto was lovely for school lunches too.
I blended it with pasta and added the leftover chicken, tomatoes and red onion.
Roasted pine nuts, pasta, red onion, tomatoes and pesto sated my appetite on another busy work day.
There was still plenty of pesto left for chicken, mozzarella and pesto toasties. Grilling it until the cheese melts is yummy! I also loved the tuna, mozzarella, mayo and pesto sandwiches. Delicious!
And finally Pesto, linguine and chilli prawns – mmmmm!
I would highly recommend making your own pesto – it’s so easy and really satisfying.
keep smiling :)
Claire
x
That chicken looks simply amazing, I’m going to have a go at making that pesto x
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It is so easy to make :) x
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The salmon looks amazing. Would never think to make my own pesto! x
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It is delicious :) x
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This looks utterly amazing. I adore home made pesto.
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Yummy, I love pesto so I will definitely be making this at some point.
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I do love pesto but unfortunately my stomach cannot tolerate too much basil. Still it looks so quick and easy to make which is a great quick meal fix.
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That salmon and pesto looks fantastic! I’m trying to think of a romantic meal to cook for my husband and this looks fantastic. Thank you x
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Oh wow, great post, I’ve never tried to make my own pesto before so I’ll definitely be having a go! I love pesto, yum yum! X
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Everything looks so delicous! I think I cook your salmon and pesto recipe this weekend, yum yum!!
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Spotted this on Instagram… Looks so yum hun! Now I can make my own
Thanks for sharing :D
Charlotte x
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Wow. This looks out of this world! I love eating pesto on a chicken and cheese panini :)
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Pesto is my love! I have it all the time and pesto pasta and chicken is my favourite, I normally have it with salad. This looks great as well.
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Ive never made my own but I do love Pesto, especially with Tomato and Mozzerella on a paninni x
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I have never made my own pesto before! Oh these all look great, I am so hungry now! I really love the look of the chicken
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I love pesto but I never make it – I might now I know that you can freeze it
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Yum! The salmon looks great! Claire’s pesto salmon will
Definitely he on the menu at Chez Phillips next week.
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Oh I didn’t know you can grow your ow pesto, how silly of me! Its herb after all haha
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I have to admit I eat a lot of pesto but I’ve never made it myself… I will have to fix it and try to make it at home.
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Oh wow – this looks so good, and no nasties in there either. I’ll definitely try it. Kaz x
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