Pesto is a sauce originating in Genoa, northern Italy. Maybe you have heard about pesto Genovese, yep, now you understand why. In the traditional kind you will find basil, pine nuts, garlic, parmesan cheese and a really good quality olive oil.

The best thing about pesto is that there are hundreds of different ways of combining ingredients into this lush sauce. This is what was mixed and matched today.

Sweet stem broccoli pesto
(makes one large jar of pesto)

200g sweet stem broccoli
30g pine nuts
extra virgin olive oil
1 handful basil leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 handful of grated parmesan
1 heaped tbsp ricotta
Pinch of salt

Pesto Trapanese
(makes one large jar of pesto)

120g sun-dried tomatoes (soak in warm water for 20 min before using)
extra virgin olive oil
100g almonds
2 garlic cloves
1 handful of basil leaves
1 handful of parmesan
1 heaped tbsp ricotta

The traditional way to make pesto is to use a pestle and mortar but to save time the food processor is a great tool. After roughly chopping all the ingredients let the processor do the work as you add a little olive oil at a time. You just want your pesto to bind, not swim around in oil so keep a close eye on your mixture.

The pesto keeps in the fridge for about a week but also freezes well if you leave out the cheese. A clever person told me about the trick of using an ice cube tray, this way you have little portions ready to go.