Discover the secrets of pesto: 5 recipes for an herbal delicacy

Do you want to prepare a really quick and easy lunch?

Or make a snack or salad special?

Breathe the taste of the Mediterranean into your kitchen even in the middle of winter?

Herbs in oil will help you with this.

Try pesto recipes and bring a whole new experience to your plates.

Classic basil pesto

Amazing aroma, fresh color and highly addictive taste.

Ingredients

• 100 g of fresh basil
• 70 g of pine nuts
• 50 g Parmesan cheese
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 80 ml of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• pepper

Method

• Mix the basil, nuts, cheese and garlic.
• Add the oil, lemon juice and salt and blend again until the mixture is smooth.
• Add pepper or salt to taste.
• Transfer the herb mixture to a sealable container and store in the refrigerator.

Sicilian tomato pesto

A sauce full of vibrant color and great flavor. Those who like a spicy taste can supplement the recipe with fresh chili pepper.

Ingredients

• 1 glass/ 280 g of sun-dried tomatoes in oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 50 g of fresh basil
• 100 g Parmesan cheese
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Method

• Layer the basil leaves, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes with the oil from the jar, salt and pepper into the food processor and blend.
• Add the grated cheese and mix again.
• Add olive oil, salt and pepper if needed.
• Transfer to clean jars and store in the refrigerator.

Bear garlic pesto

What is the best way to preserve healthy and unique wild garlic that only grows for a few weeks in the spring? Make homemade pesto from it and you can enjoy it all year round.

Ingredients

• 200 g of fresh wild garlic
• 60 g of pumpkin seeds
• 125 g of olive oil
• 30 g of grated parmesan
• 20 g of grated emmental
• salt
• pepper

Method

• Chop the wild garlic into strips with a knife.
• Put in a blender together with nuts and salt and blend.
• Add some of the olive oil and both types of cheese and mix again.
• Season with salt and pepper and add olive oil depending on how thick or thin you want the consistency of the pesto.
• Store in a resealable container in the refrigerator.

Do you like wild garlic? Try it in soup. Get inspired among the recipes for garlic soups .

Watercress pesto

You can also use herbs from the garden to make pesto. Instead of watercress, it can easily be coriander, rocket or oregano.

Ingredients

• 100 g of watercress
• 40 g of basil leaves
• 1 clove of garlic
• 75 g of grated pecorino cheese
• 50 g of hazelnuts
• 6 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180°.
• Spread the hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes.
• Leave to cool.
• Put all the ingredients, including the toasted nuts, in a blender and mix repeatedly, in short intervals, until a smooth mixture is obtained.
• Transfer to resealable jars and store in the refrigerator.

Carrot pesto

You don’t have to throw away the vegetable scraps! You can also make a great pesto from them. In addition to carrots, try parsley, beetroot leaves or cabbage.

Ingredients

• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• string from two smaller bunches of carrots
• 50 g of fresh mint
• 60 g of walnuts
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Method

• Place the carrot stick in a pot of water and bring to a boil.
• Cook for about three minutes until it turns a bright green color.
• Then drain and cool the leaves immediately under ice water.
• Drain again, squeeze out excess water and place in a blender.
• Add all other ingredients and mix.
• Season with salt and pepper and lemon juice as needed.
• Store in the refrigerator in a sealable container or jar.

You used the string and now what about the carrots? Get inspired by these carrot-starring recipes .

More recipe tips

• Discover different flavors – you can combine or adjust the herbs in different ways (If you don’t have enough basil on hand, add chives or fresh parsley, for example). Pesto can handle everything and you can have a great time with it and bring it to perfection exactly as you like.
• The same goes for nuts – usually pesto is made from pine nuts, but they are somewhat expensive. Feel free to try walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
• If you first roast the nuts in the oven or in a pan, you get a much more intense flavor.
• Pesto can be stored in the fridge for 7-10 days, but you can also freeze it and keep it for several weeks

How to use pesto?

• The easiest pasta sauce – add a spoonful of pesto to a serving of pasta and you have a quick and tasty lunch.
• Garnish the soup – add a teaspoon of pesto to the bowl of soup. It will decorate it beautifully and add an interesting taste
• Spread it on bread – use pesto instead of butter or margarine, and you’ll transform an ordinary bun with ham into something unrecognizable. You can get a great snack, for example, with toasted bread spread with pesto, on which you place slices of mozzarella and tomatoes.
• Grilling – herb sauce goes wonderfully with grilled meats and roasted vegetables.
• Pizza – use pesto instead of classic tomato sauce for pizza dough.
• Herb dip – mix pesto with yogurt, sour cream or mayonnaise for a great fresh vegetable dip
• Salad dressing – instead of ordinary oil and vinegar, drizzle pesto over the salad, you’ll be licking your lips.
• Herb butter – use it instead of butter, for example, on baked fish or roasted potatoes
• Meat Pocket Stuffing – Do you like stuffed chicken pockets? Add a spoonful of pesto to the filling.
• Savory pretzels – the herb filling also goes well with savory pretzels or pizza snails.