The Sweet Little Miracle of Basil

Riding high on the wave of pride since my last successful recipe (Sun-dried Lettuce), I  felt it was a perfect time to come back down to earth and go for something a little less ambitious. A well-worn, familiar recipe that requires little more than sweet, homegrown basil and a gentle blender. Yes, it's that darling of everyone's eye - basil pesto. 

Its a real fine thing when the directions for a recipe include "1. Gently mash ingredients together" as the total preparation. Well, punch me a lisp and call me jamie oliver! 'Cause I think I might have made the greatest pesto I've ever tasted.

It started with the massive clumps of green basil busting out between the tomatoes last week. There was no way we were going to consume it all in time... (There was no way I was leaving it to the same fate as the lettuce... ) So first and favourite job - picking the basil.

Next the garlic. Family heirloom, grown and plucked (after surviving a  hurried transplanting halfway through the year) from the pots of herbs by the back door. 

Being of the mild, Russian variety, I chopped a few cloves into big yummy chunks.  After this, the parmesan cheese, grated from a hard, old block that was hiding in the fridge for longer than most dairy foods can handle (sweet, stoic parmesan). 

Cashews were next ( in place of pricey pine nuts), followed by generous hand squeezes of lemon. The oil, I put in last and only a fraction of what recipes online suggest. This accidently led to a better solution to the pasty/soggy pesto I've made before. The pesto (pulsed and prodded, rather than mashed and pulvarised) remained chunky and chew-worthy.

 Then I scooped spoonfuls onto a bed of pasta and drizzled olive oil generously over the top, and stirred. Positively mouth-watering. 

It was all deliciously devoured over the next 48 hours by both of us. It was so good I think I could have almost bathed in it...

Thank you universe for the sweet little miracle that is - basil.