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I am lazy. I am lazy enough that home-made pesto is something I wouldn't normally think to make; it's easy enough to pick some up from the Italian deli or, failing that, a jar from the supermarket. Our organic box this week had a big bunch of basil in which needed using up, so in a fit of domesticity I decided to give making my own a try. It really is very easy to do and I think I may even stick to making it from fresh in the future; it has a much more vivid colour and fresh taste when it's just made. One last thing: excuse my very rough measurements, as I was making it up as I went along.
Makes enough to fill a small kiln jar
A large bunch of basil
A handful of pine nuts
A half-handful of Parmigiano-Reggiano
Olive oil, probably around 100ml
Put the basil, pine nuts and parmesan into a food processor, and blitz until everything's smooth. Start adding the oil, and keep checking the consistency of the pesto; you're looking for a fairly runny paste, but stop adding oil before it becomes entirely liquid. When it'd done, spoon the pesto into a sterilised jar, and pour a thin film of oil over the surface, which should stop the top layer discolouring over time. In the fridge, it should last for a couple of weeks.
This idea came about somewhat by accident; I needed a quick dinner before heading out to some birthday drinks and originally planned to just grill some cherry tomatoes with a little olive oil, salt and pepper until they blistered and began to pop open, eating the results with some crusty bread to mop up the juices. As it turns out, I got bored while waiting for the tomatoes to grill and decided to turn it into a hot bruschetta. It made a large plateful for one, bursting with summery Italian flavours, but would make a great snack for a couple of people. I'm going to try serving it as a starter at some point, as it makes a really interesting change from a normal cold bruschetta.
Serves one as a meal, two as a snack.
250g of cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves
handful of basil leaves
grated parmesan, about 1 tablespoon full
a half baguette or ciabatta
olive oil
Turn on the grill and, while you're waiting for it to get hot, halve the cherry tomatoes, placing them in a roasting tin cut side up, and drizzle with olive oil. Smash two of the garlic cloves, roughly chop, and scatter over. Add a sprinkle of salt and a grind of black pepper and pop the tomatoes under the grill.
While the tomatoes cook, cut the bread into 2cm thick slices at an angle and cook on each side in a dry, pre-heated griddle pan. They should just start to brown, maybe charring just a touch in places. When they're done, cut the third garlic clove in half and rub the top of each slice with the cut side of the garlic.
Check the tomatoes after five minutes; they should be releasing their juices, blistering just slightly at the edges, with the skins about to fall away. If they're not at this point, leave them another minute or two and check again. If they're ready, sprinkle over the parmesan, replace under the grill and leave for a minute so the cheese becomes golden.
To assemble, place the breads on a plate, and spoon a heap of tomatoes onto each slice. There should be some exciting juices on the bottom of the tin; spoon a little of this over each bruschetta. Finally, add a grind of pepper and tear a handful of basil over the whole plate.
