My relationship with basil pesto used to be a rather mundane affair, largely confined to the quick convenience of a supermarket jar found on the shelves here in the UK. While certainly edible, it lacked that certain vibrancy that makes pesto so beloved.

That all changed, as many great food stories do, on a journey. We were simply passing through Milan, Italy, and found ourselves grabbing a quick pasta dish at the iconic Milan Centrale train station. The moment I tasted that pesto, I knew I had been living a lie. It was bright, fresh, fragrant, and bursting with life. It is a world away from the oily, muted flavour I was accustomed to.

The revelation hit me: pesto was meant to be like this or perhaps better.

Back home, armed with a new quest for flavour, I turned to the modern culinary school: YouTube. I quickly found a wonderful video presented by @claudia-romeo at Food Insider.

It turns out that making fresh pesto is surprisingly straightforward, even with the basil readily available in the UK. While one might argue that it’s not the true, authentic Italian Genoese basil – the king of pesto ingredients – the result is undeniably miles better than anything from a jar.

Now, the whir of the food processor, the punch of garlic, the perfume of fresh basil, and the rich texture of pine nuts and Parmesan are a regular fixture in my kitchen. What started as a hurried meal at a train station has blossomed into a joyful, simple ritual. It’s a delicious reminder that sometimes, the best recipes are the ones you make yourself.

Fresh Pesto for Pasta

A simple and vibrant homemade pesto, perfect with pasta or spread on bread.

Imperial Metric

Ingredients

Pesto Ingredients

• Toggle ingredient completion 60 g Basil
• Toggle ingredient completion 30 g Cashew nut
• Toggle ingredient completion 2 cloves Garlic
• Toggle ingredient completion 50 ml Olive oil
• Toggle ingredient completion 1 Lemon (juiced)
• Toggle ingredient completion hard cheese (grated)

Equipment

• Toggle equipment readiness Grinder
• Toggle equipment readiness Frying Pan

Instructions

1. Fry garlic in a little olive oil until fragrant, then set aside the garlic and the infused oil separately.

2. Grind the basil, cashew nuts, and lemon juice together in the grinder until a coarse paste forms.

3. Add the fried garlic and the remaining olive oil to the ground mixture and continue to mix/grind until the pesto reaches your desired consistency.

4. add hard cheese to finish.

Notes

For a smoother pesto, you may need to add a touch more olive oil. In this recipe we use cashews nuts as a substitute for pine nuts because it last longer in storage.