Pesto (from Thai basil)

ingredients

  • leaves from 3 bunches of thai basil (about 200g dry)
    • these basil leaves are larger than holy basil, and don’t smell like mint
    • also pluck off the tippy tops since those bits have flavor - basically put in everything except the stem
    • each bunch costs about $2 at the thai supermarket at golden mile
      • note: they’re moving to aperia mall near lavender in april 2023
  • 0.8 cups of extra virgin olive oil (160g)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 heads / 12-15 cloves raw garlic, peeled (60g)
    • use up to 3 heads garlic
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts (100g)
    • or 1/3 cup also okay
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated parmegiano (10-20g)
    • if using the pre-packaged powdered parmesan cheese, use 3/4 to 1 cup since its really weak
    • other cheeses are also okay (adjust the amount to taste)
      • hard cheeses usually have a better shelf life (if you’re planning to make this ahead of time)
    • note from 2023-02-19:
      • used 1 cup (60g) of grated gran moravia (hard cheese) since that was in the fridge
      • using 2/3 cup (40g) was still too little

directions

  1. add oil to blender
  2. add basil leaves - about 1/3 of the leaves will fit
  3. blend in the leaves
  4. add basil leaves and blend repeatedly until all the leaves are in
  5. add the salt, garlic, pine nuts, and cheese
  6. blend to combine, and keep blending to form a pasty consistency
  7. store in an airtight container for up to a couple months
  8. smooth the top surface of the pesto flat with a spatula, and cover with olive oil to prevent oxidation
  9. it does not need to be cooked before eating - that also weakens the garlic flavor
  10. the oil preventing oxidation is not wasted - it tastes pretty good after absorbing the basil flavor