An abundance of beautiful, fragrant, potent basil straight out of your aquaponics system means only one thing - its time to make pesto!
You can’t really go wrong with pesto - spoon it on fresh pasta, spread it on toast, or you can even freeze it, pesto is a ‘must have’ for any kitchen. (Except my brother Stephen’s kitchen. He hates pesto, but then he always was maladjusted.) So here is my pesto recipe;
Ingredients:
basil - lots
pine nuts
parmesan cheese
garlic
olive oil
salt
Blend the basil, garlic and pine nuts together, add enough oil to get the consistency you want from your pesto. Add the parmesan last, then readjust the oil. Note - if you choose to add parmesan, the shelf life of your product is reduced. Pesto sans cheese ‘lives’ longer.
Now taste for salt. Your cheese may have been salty enough, but if your palate demands more salt, sprinkle a bit in.
Sterilise enough jars to take your pesto. I advise using smaller jars rather than large ones, as once you open the jar, you have to use it. I use old jam jars; wash with soap and water, or bung them in the dishwasher, then bake in an oven of 100 degrees c for 10 minutes. Add your pesto. Allow to cool. Store in fridge.
What would be extra nice is if you printed little labels for your jars - quite a few modern printers allow you print out sticky labels. If you can be bothered, be sure to include the date of creation!