Basil in the Kitchen

Time to make some pesto, don't you think?

I found a great spot for my basil in the kitchen.

Do you like it?

Today is as good a day as any to harvest my basil plant and make a big batch of pesto to last me all weekend. So lets start cooking!

Caprese Salad

The basil I have growing on in my kitchen is so lovely.
Even though I seem to neglect it ever so slightly (yes, I either give too little or too much water) it always bounces back to give me the most tasty, fragrant leaves.

This past weekend my husband pointed out (again) how disorganised I am. Of course he is right but I do so hate to admit it. I buy groceries without any real plan and then I find things in the fridge which I had better use or throw out. Like a ball of mozzarella which I bought ages ago. Why did I buy it again? Oh yes, it was on special... good reason, right?

Luckily I had my trusty basil and some ripe tomatoes which of course go really well with mozzarella.

I love the combination and what I love even more is eating it while in Italy but since that is not really an option right now I'm happy to enjoy it at home.

Remember to drizzle extra virgin olive oil over your salad just before you serve it :-)

Pesto pasta

My basil plant was begging to be used and what better use for basil leaves than in pesto.

Yum. Yum. Yum.

One of my fellow bloggers, Jolanda from ongezouten lekker, posted a pesto recipe on her blog. Of course I had to try it out!

As I picked the leaves one by one, the kitchen was filled with the unmistakable aroma of fresh basil. I blitzed all the ingredients together in my food processor and admired the beautiful green pesto.

It was delicious. I mixed it into penne pasta and then added some sauteed onions, mushrooms and courgette.

I repeat: simply delicious!

To see the Dutch version of Jolanda's recipe, click here.
If you don't understand Dutch then here is a quick translation.

Ingredients:
Basil leaves - 20 or more
Pine nuts
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon Pecorino cheese (I added slightly more than a tablespoon)
Water as needed

Method:
Combine all ingredients in the food processor and add water as needed to help to make the mixture smooth.

Mix into cooked pasta, then add sauteed veggies and serve with some grated Pecorino cheese.
Enjoy!