Basil Walnut Pesto for Pasta

As I am a vegetarian, whenever I travel abroad, an Italian restaurant is what I look for as I know that I will get delicious vegetarian food here. After all, there are only so many vegetarian sandwiches one can eat and I am not a fan of McDonald’s. One of my favourite dishes is Pasta in Pesto. The past couple of months have been an overload of heavy Indian food as it was the festival season. As a result, I was craving some “different” kind of food. I had a lot of Italian Basil, and there are always walnuts and some form of pasta at home; so I decided to make Penne with Basil Walnut Pesto.

Traditionally Pesto uses Pine Nuts. However, I had no Pine Nuts at home and was loathe to go out to get some as I had to travel a few kilometers. So I browsed for a substitute and found that you could also make Pesto with Walnuts without a significant change in taste.

This is the first time I have made Pesto and was quite happy with the results. 🙂

How to Make Basil Walnut Pesto

Makes: 1 Cup

Time: 5 Minutes

Ingredients

1. Fresh Italian Basil – 2 Packed Cups
2. Chopped Walnuts – 1/2 Cup
3. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) – 1/2 Cup
4. Garlic Cloves – 2
5. Grated Parmesan – 1/3 Cup
6. Salt to Taste

Method

1. Grind basil, walnuts, garlic cloves, and Parmesan together for 30 seconds.
2. Add some Olive oil.
3. Scrape off the inner side of the grinding jar.
4. Grind the Pesto for another 30 seconds.
5. Repeat steps 2 to 4 till you have a smooth Basil Walnut Pesto.
6. Refrigerate in an air-tight jar.
7. Use as required.

Tips

• Italian Basil tends to be sweeter than Thai basil, so please do not substitute one for another in any recipes.