PERFECT PESTO PASTA

I've been getting a bit more adventurous lately when it comes to trying food that I thought I didn't like. I did it with satay when we were in Singapore (I now love the stuff!) and this weekend we decided to make some homemade pesto to see if it's better than the ready made stuff that I don't like. Well I like basil, garlic, lemon, pine nuts and parmesan so why wouldn't I like them all blended together. Turns out homemade pesto is well lush, super easy to make and I'm gutted I've been missing out for so long.

This is a recipe that I have adapted by Jamie Oliver to suit my tastes. Mostly I've just added more lemon juice and garlic and changed up the technique slightly. If you want to check out the original recipe you can do by clicking here. I find the recipe below is enough to coat 200g of pasta, perfect for two people;

Pesto Pasta

200g Your Choice Of Pasta

1 Grated Garlic Clove

3 Handfuls Of Basil

1 Handful Of Pine Nuts

1 Handful of Parmesan

Juice Of 1 Lemon

Salt And Pepper to Season

Roughly 150ml Olive Oil

1. Begin by cooking your pasta as per packet instructions. Keep an eye on it whilst you prepare the pesto and once cooked, drain the pasta and retain 2 tbsp of the cooking water. Place the pasta and the retained water into a large bowl.
2. Whilst the pasta cooks, place the garlic, basil, pine nuts, parmesan and lemon juice into a food processor and season liberally with salt and pepper. Give everything a quick blitz and then slowly pour in the olive oil in small batches, blitzing after each addition until a smooth pesto has formed (you may not need all the olive oil for this - use just enough until you get the right consistency). 
3. Taste and season with some more salt and pepper or add a bit more lemon juice if you feel it's needed. Tip the pesto into the bowl with the pasta and give everything a good mix together until all the pasta is coated in the pesto

It is as simple as that. Tuck into your pesto pasta straight away or why not divide it into two small tubs ready to take to work for your lunch the next day. Whenever you decide to eat your pasta what you will find clinging to each delicious piece of pasta is a pesto that packs a garlicky punch that gives way to to a zingy lemon flavor with that earthy nutty basil body ticking away throughout. It really is delightful and is once again another example to why you should try and make things from scratch rather than buying food ready made in jars. This homemade pesto is so much tastier, in fact I would say it is perfect!