Basil Walnut Pesto Sauce Recipe (without Parmesan Cheese) | How to Make Basil Walnut Pesto at Home

Basil Walnut Pesto #Recipe

Basil Walnut Pesto, as the name suggests is a pesto sauce made from fresh basil leaves, walnuts and olive oil. Pesto has its origin in Genoa in Liguria, Italy. Traditionally, it was made by pounding basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese in a pestle and mortar. But, today many variations are popular across the world. With gadgets like mixer grinders and food processors at our disposal now, people seldom make it by pounding it in a pestle and mortar. Making pesto at home is an easy task today, all thanks to the technological advancements. Once you have made it yourself, you will never buy a jar from the supermarket. That's for sure.

I generally make pesto using either walnuts or almonds. Pine nuts are not easily available in stores in India. Some speciality stores do keep them, but it is mostly exorbitantly priced. Thankfully, walnuts or almonds or for that matter any nut can do the job perfectly well. I make it without parmesan cheese - one reason being that parmesan cheese is not easily available here and second is that parmesan cheese has animal rennet and is not considered vegetarian. I have heard that a vegetarian variety is also available these days, but I don't seem to care. I have come to love the pesto I make without parmesan cheese.

To the uninitiated, pesto is just like our Indian Green Chutney in process. Just blend all the ingredients and it is ready. I used this basil walnut pesto to make bruschetta and some of it went into making penne pasta with pesto sauce. Even my little one liked it!

You can also check out my Penne Pasta in Red Sauce with Veggies Recipe

This pesto keeps well for 5 to 7 days. Keep it covered with olive oil. The surface might turn a few shades darker - just stir it and use it. It can be frozen too. But, I like my food fresh always and seldom freeze it.

Let's now check out my recipe for Basil Walnut Pesto here.

Basil Walnut Pesto Recipe | How to Make Basil Walnut Pesto at Home

Ingredients:

1 cup loosely packed basil, wash it cleaned and pat dry
3 tbsp walnuts
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + extra for topping
2-3 cloves of garlic
Salt to taste

Process:

1. Use the chutney jar of your mixer and add basil and walnuts to it. Add garlic, salt and half of the olive oil. Blend it to a paste.

2. Scrap down from the sides, add little more olive oil and blend again. The walnuts will also release its oil to give a creamy pesto.

3. Add the last bit of olive oil, scrap the pesto from the sides and churn it one last time. Adjust seasoning if needed. Your basil walnut pesto is ready.

4. Store it in a glass container and top the surface with some more olive oil.

5. You can smear it over toasted bread slices, make bruschetta or use it in making pasta dishes. Enjoy!

Notes:

1. You can use almonds in lieu of walnuts.

This Basil Walnut Pesto Sauce is my post for BM 86 Week 3 Day #1 under the theme 'Italian Sauces You Should Master'

 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page to find other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#86

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