Series 2 restaurateurs
Cooking with Raymond
Pesto sauce
Pesto is an Italian favourite and has a lesser known cousin, pistou, a basil/olive oil/garlic condiment used in French cuisine. The main difference is the pine nuts - which are used in the Italian version and not in the French. Both can be used as a sauce for pasta or as a flavouring for steamed vegetables, grilled fish and chicken. The pesto can be prepared 2-3 days in advance and kept clingfilmed in the fridge - alternatively it can also be frozen. You'll need a blender for this recipe.
| Name of dish: | Pesto sauce |
|---|---|
| Preparation time: | 30 mins |
| Cooking time: | 15 mins |
| Serves: | 2 people |
Raymond creates a pesto sauce.
Ingredients
- 30g 1 handful Basil leaves, blanched for 5 seconds and refreshed (Chef's note 1)
- 5g 1 clove Garlic, puréed
- 100ml Olive oil, extra virgin
- 20g parmesan cheese
- 5g toasted pine nuts
- 1g 1 pinch Sea salt
- 1g 2 pinches White pepper
Method
- Place all the ingredients into a blender and pulse to a fine paste, slowly adding the olive oil, taste and correct seasoning.
- Reserve in a covered container in the fridge until needed.
Chef's note
- Blanching the basil retains its vivid green colour by destroying an enzyme which causes the basil to discolour.
The Menu
The Inspectors' verdicts
Have Your Say
The BBC is not responsible for the content of any external web sites.
BBC iD
BBC iDBBC navigation
BBC links
BBC © 2014The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
