Last updated 15:06, Sunday, 18 May 2008

PESTO has been around for ages and is readily available on the supermarket shelves.

If you’ve never been brave enough to try it, or haven’t known what it is, we’re here to fill you in this week.

It originates from the city of Genoa in Northern Italy and is a puree of basil, salt, garlic, parmesan cheese, pine nuts and extra virgin olive oil (although it can have other variations)

It dates back to Roman times, where the Romans ate a cheese spread flavoured with herbs.

Historically, pesto was prepared in a marble mortar and pestle and of course it still can be, although we now have lots of kitchen technology to make it quicker and easier.

The name is contracted from the latin word ‘pestle’ meaning to crush – referring to the crushed garlic and herbs.

Of course, to be able to buy it straight from the shelf is very convenient but it’s a poor substitute to making your own.

Commercially-made sauces tend to use cheaper ingredients like sunflower oil and cashew or walnuts.

Plus you do get a better flavour if it’s freshly made.

So, what’s all the fuss about using extra virgin olive oil and what does it mean?

Well, olives are crushed to extract the oil and there are various methods of doing this.

You can manually crush them but also revert to chemicals and heat to aid the process.

The closer you stay to the way Mother Nature created the olives, the fewer impurities there are in the oil.

Extra virgin refers to the fact that the oil has been extracted purely manually without the use of heat or chemicals from a cold press.

It is strictly governed and can contain no more that 0.8 per cent acidity.

The first press always has the superior flavour – it is the same with grapes and wine.

Here’s our pesto recipe (a little goes a long way)

Serves 4

1 large bunch basil (you can use the stalks too but cut off the very ends)

4 cloves garlic, peeled

75g fresh parmesan cheese, roughly chopped

50g pine nuts, lightly toasted in a dry frying pan

1 pinch salt

100ml extra virgin olive oil

Combine all ingredients and puree together. A hand blender or jug blender are good to use – or you could go old school and use a pestle and mortar like the Romans!

That’s it really. It will keep well in the fridge for a week.

And here’s our suggestion what to do with it.

Spring pasta with pesto

Our seasonal recipe is a veggie treat but you could add some cooked chicken or prawns if you prefer

300g pasta (you could really use any type you prefer but we suggest spaghetti, linguini or penne)

1 pack/bunch asparagus, woody ends removed and cut into even sized pieces about an inch long

100g podded broad beans - great if you can get fresh but we also use frozen, just defrost them first

½ pack watercress or rocket salad leaves

Pesto

A few shavings of fresh parmesan

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in a large sauce pan. We prefer it to sill have a bit of bite to it (al dente) but you cook it how you prefer.

In the last two minutes of cooking time, add the asparagus and beans to the same water in the pan with the pasta.

Drain everything then return to the pan.

Add the salad leaves and a dollop of pesto (you may not want to use it all). Divide between plates and garnish with a few parmesan shavings.

If you want to make it a bit more substantial then you could add a few cubes of cheese. Goat’s cheese or a blue cheese like Dolcelatte would be lovely.