Delia Online

Re: Make Your Own Pesto
14 Apr 2008 22:31

Saw the following in a Garden Centre leaflet:
Growing Basil in a container couldn't be easier. Keep two or three containers on the go, planted a few weeks apart from each other so there's always Basil available. Plant from seed into well draining soil and pick a sunny warm spot on the patio or in a sunny kitchen window. Basil is an annual which must be grown new each year. Pinch back flowers to prevent it going to seed.
. Leaves of a large Basil plant
' 150 ml extra virgin olive oil
' 2 cloves of minced garlic
' 1 tsp sea salt
' 50g grated parmesan
' 25 g roasted pine nuts

Mix ingredients in a blender. You may need to add a drop of water to help blending. Process until mostly smooth (adding extra oil if required). Will keep in a container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Dottie Mayx

Replies

By vivaciousviv: Re: Make Your Own Pesto
15 Apr 2008 09:34
Hmm will try that Dottie, I have loads of basil on the go and I love pesto. Thanks. Viv xx

By Fish Wife

Re: Make Your Own Pesto
15 Apr 2008 20:09

Hello Dottie,

I've grown basil before & made the most delish pesto from it using Delia's recipe.

My question is however, I have often seen it in books but never known what it means when it says "pinch back the flowers to prevent going to seed" and wondered if you could explain since you used the phrase too. Sometimes my basil plants have ended up with big stalks coming out of them with little white flowers on. Presume this is not good. What should I have done and when to prevent it?

Apologies if this is a really dumb question!

Thanks

By Dottie May: Re: Make Your Own Pesto
16 Apr 2008 08:49
Hello Fish Wife. Pinching out just means you cut or use your fingers to take out the flower stalk on a plant. If you leave the flowers on ithey will turn to seed, which you don't want. You want the strength to stay in the plant. Hope my explanation helps. The following is in one of my gardenig books - Make bushier plants. Many plants concentrate their energy in a single tip bud, while other buds along the stem remain dormant. If this tip bud is removed then buds lower down will produce side shoots. This is called stopping, pinching or tip pruning and is used to make bushier growth. Some plants will only need pinching once, such as bedding plants and sweet peas. Several perennials may need pinching a few times – take out the initial bud of a dahlia and then pinch out the resulting side growth. Dottie Mayx

By Krishnamurti

Re: Make Your Own Pesto
17 Apr 2008 21:30

Dottie - you can substitue fresh spinach for some of the basil for a milder taste - or use rocket for a change. Also you can sub. cashew nuts for the pine nuts and it still tastes great.
I sometimes freeze it for a few weeks and it seems to work well.