Pesto

ingredients

• ½ a clove garlic
• 30g basil leaves
• 40g pine nuts
• 30g parmesan cheese
• 1½ tbsp olive oil
• ½ tbsp lemon juice

method

Peel the garlic, then pound in a pestle and mortar with a pinch of sea salt.Pick, roughly chop and add the basil leaves, then bash to a paste (or pulse in a food processor).Add the pine nuts (very lightly toast first, if you like) to the mixture and pound again, then stir in half the Parmesan.Drizzle in some oil – you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency.Add most of the remaining cheese, then season to perfection with salt and black pepper. Have a taste, and keep adding a bit more cheese or oil until you are happy with the taste and consistency. Add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to give it a little twang, if you like, but it’s not essential.