Soups & Starters
Side Dishes & Canapes
Spinach and Roasted Hazelnut Pesto
It wasn’t until last year, when I made pesto for the first time, that I realised how much better homemade can be than the ready-made sort I’d always been happy to use before. Recently I needed pesto for a recipe I was demonstrating at a foodie show and so started experimenting with some different flavours for it. This came out really well and I think it’ll be my go-to pesto recipe from now on. The best thing about it is that because it’s not as sharp as ready-made, it works really well as a dip with a little mayo added, and as a spread on croutons as a canapé or a starter just as it is.
Also, here is my original pesto recipe - it’s really good too! https://a-cooks-plot.blogspot.com/2019/02/how-to-grow-basil-in-winter.html
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
- 30g baby spinach leaves
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 5 basil leaves
- half a clove of garlic
- 25g roasted hazelnuts
- 25g parmesan, grated (or vegetarian alternative)
- one and a half tbsp lemon juice
Method
Whizz all the ingredients together, then store in a screwtop jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.
A Cook's Plot Tip
I bought roasted, ready-ground hazelnuts in Waitrose but if you buy them whole and unroasted, dry-toast them in a frying pan until they begin to release a lovely aroma, and then add them to the food processor.