Homemade Basil Pesto

In South Africa and the Netherlands, I have loved nothing more than a fresh pesto pasta. I remember the delicious Food Lovers Market in Town, always made the best. I could literally eat it everyday.

I share this story because while most foods I ate in South Africa are non-existent in my diet today, there are certain dishes that you will find anywhere in the world.

Of course, no dish I recommend comes without a funny story, so I thought I would share my misunderstanding of the word "pesto". Being as ignorant as I am, I initally thought pesto was the delicious basil and garlic mixture that Karabo from food lovers put in my pasta. Once moving to the Netherlands, I came across an Italian restuarant and you know me, the creature of habit. I confidently ordered the pesto pasta and when it came, it was red. Turns out pesto does not meal basil in Italian, in actual fact it means crushed.

Now I know better, but regardless basil pesto is something you find easily and abundantly all over the Netherlands, but when I visited South Africa and wanted to show off my new found cooking skills, I could not find a fresh alternative to the preserved jars.

It is with this is in mind that I would like to share this recipe, so those I love can have a little taste of my favorite food.

As most of my reciepes , you will find that this one is easy to make and takes 10 minutes. Feel free to add and remove ingredients as you see fit.

South African Ingredients

• 80g of fresh basil leaves

• 1 garlic head

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 1 teaspoon of pepper

• 1/3 cup of olive oil

• 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds (optional)

• 1 teaspoon of parmesan cheese (optional)

  
  

Netherlands Ingredients:

Instructions:

Variations: