Taste of spring - fresh pesto pasta

Spring is a stimulating time of year for PAT PILCHER’s olfactory senses and fresh basil pasta is top of his taste tree. Here’s his recipe.

As winter draws to a close I usually find myself craving fresh spring produce. The one thing that tops my list year after year is fresh basil. Not only is its smell utterly intoxicating (yes I did inhale), but it adds an incredible flavour, and tastes like summer!

As luck would have it, my favourite basil dish is also one of the simplest to cook: pesto and pasta. If you’re looking for a quick, low-fuss but delicious meal, try this!

You could buy pesto in a jar from the supermarket, but don’t. You’d be missing out on the added zing and freshness that making your own brings to the party.

Ingredients

(Pesto)

1x clove of garlic

A generous handful of fresh basil leaves

A generous handful of pine nuts

A glug of extra virgin olive oil

A handful of freshly grated parmesan

Freshly ground black pepper

(pasta)

200g of fusilli. Spaghetti or rigatoni

Tspn of salt

Water

Skin the garlic clove and place in the mortar and bash into a paste
Pick and wash the basil, discarding any dead bits.
Place the basil in the mortar and bash into a green paste

Add the pine nuts and bash into your preferred texture (some people like it bashed into a smooth peanut butter-like consistency, others prefer it coarser)
Grate in the parmesan, mixing it into the paste using a rubber scraper or small spoon

Add the olive oil and stir in
Add black pepper to taste, stir in
Put water and salt in a pot and bring to the boil
Noting the cooking time of your pasta, add it to the boiling water
Once the pasta is al dente, use a tablespoon and take some pasta water, adding it to the pesto, stirring it in
Drain the pasta and put it back in the pot, adding the pesto, mixing to combine