There’s nothing better than an everything sauce. Something you can make once and use in endless creative ways.

And even better when the everything sauce can be made with well, everything.

Because why do basil, parmesan and pine nuts get all the fun when the combinations of greens, hard cheese and nuts or seeds are endless.

And it doesn’t end there.

What about other veggies all together? Or anchovies in pesto?! Okay maybe not for everyone but before you judge it, fun food fact - the basil pesto we all know and love comes from Liguria but the lesser known Sicilian version has fresh cherry tomatoes, almonds, a perfect combo of mint & basil and yes, the loved (well I do anyways but I know it’s a hot button topic which is a conversation for another day) anchovy.

This is also another reason I love to teach techniques first. Because once you know the steps and basic ingredient ratios, you can play around and create your own new and delicious version of something you already love.

Making your own pesto is always worth it, whether you’re putting in the arm work and doing it old school with a mortar and pestle or you pull out the food processor to have it ready in minutes. I always obsess about how pretty it looks in the fridge AND how much flavour is packed into that little jar.

And let’s talk about the ways to use it shall we? Tossed with pasta, spread on a sandwich, as a marinade, brushed onto fish or chicken before baking, stirred into soup - or let’s face it, sometimes even by the spoonful.

Small things friends.

These simple things you can make in minutes that make life instantly more delicious.

And there’s always magic in that.

Hopefully I can inspire you to get those creative juices flowing by experimenting and playing with some different flavours and ingredients. Maybe, just maybe basil won’t be your favourite anymore - how fun is that?

What’s Cooking This Week: The Master Pesto Recipe

Here’s a master formula to start with when making pesto.

Always remember, you’re the one who makes it best so use this as a starting point, taste and adjust as you go until you find that sweet spot.

This is especially important to remember when you’re mixing ingredients - some greens are going to be really peppery so you may need to use less or mix them with another (arugula with a little bit of basil for example) - or maybe you like your pesto thicker so you can spread it then use less oil. The point is to play around with your ingredients. Use this as a starting point and then let your creativity and intuition be your guide. That’s how we roll here!

Basic Pesto

• 6 cups loosely packed greens, divided

• 1/2 cup nuts

• 1/2 cup cheese

• 1-2 cloves garlic

• Squeeze of lemon juice this is mostly to keep the bright colour

• 1/4 to half cup good olive oil

• Salt & pepper to taste

Blend half the greens with the nuts, cheese, and garlic. Place 1/2 of the basil (about 3 cups) in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment or blender. Add 1/2 cup pine nuts, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, 1 to 2 cloves garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt and process or blend until the ingredients are finely chopped.

Blend in the rest of the greens. Scrape down the sides of the bowl or pitcher and add the remaining 3 cups of greens. Process or blend until a uniform paste has formed, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl or pitcher as needed.

Stream in the olive oil. With the motor running, stream in 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup olive oil. Less olive oil will make a paste good for spreading on sandwiches and pizzas; more will make a sauce better for pastas and stirring into soup. Scrape down the sides of the bowl or pitcher and continue blending as needed until the olive oil is emulsified into the basil and the pesto looks uniform.

Trapanese version:

Here’s basil pesto’s cousin as mentioned above. This one is so good with salmon btw.

• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

• 2 anchovy filets

• Pecorino cheese

• 2 cups each mint & basil

• Almonds (usual amount as stated above)

And now just a few ideas of ingredients to experiment with:

Herbs:

• Basil

• Mint

• Parsley

• Chives

• Lemon Balm

Greens:

• Arugula

• Spinach

• Carrot Tops

• Radish Greens

• Nasturtiums (I like the leaves but you could us flowers too)

Random things I’ve tried:

• Sun dried tomatoes

• Grilled artichokes (you can find these packed in oil at a speciality grocery store, they have so much more flavour)

• Citrus (lemon, orange, grapefruit zest) - I lessen the amount of herbs and will usually do about 1/2 cup of zest to start with for the recipe above

• Split peas

• Olives - because these are salty remember to lessen your salt when seasoning

Nuts & Seeds:

• Pine nuts

• Cashews

• Peanuts

• Macadamia nuts

• Almonds

• Walnuts

• Sunflower seeds

• Pumpkin seeds

Cheese:

• Parmesan

• Pecorino

• Asiago

• Manchego

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Ready to learn the pleasure and the principles of cooking well? Let’s THE CREATIVE KITCHEN This if for you if you want to learn some foundational cooking skills so you can find your own creativity and flow in the kitchen. Because that’s what it’s all about!

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