⏱ Prep: 10 min · 🔥 Cook: ? min · 🍽 Serves: 6 · 📊 Easy

A vibrant, fresh homemade pesto made with fragrant basil, cashews, and parmesan — perfect alongside ripe tomatoes, crusty bread, and flaky salt for a simple yet unforgettable combination.

---

🥬 Ingredients

Pesto

• 3 large handfuls (approx. 60g / 2 oz) fresh large-leaf basil, washed and thoroughly dried, leaves picked from stems
• 5 cloves garlic cloves
• 50g (1.75 oz) parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 1 large handful (approx. 40g / 1.5 oz) cashews (or pine nuts, almonds, walnuts, or pumpkin seeds)
• 1 cube ice cube
• approximately 120ml (½ cup / 1 Turkish tea glass) extra virgin olive oil

For Serving (Optional)

• 2–3 medium ripe tomatoes, sliced
• 4–6 slices crusty sourdough or rustic bread
• to taste flaky sea salt
• to taste extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

---

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. Wash the basil leaves thoroughly and dry them very well using a salad spinner or paper towels — excess moisture will cause the pesto to darken quickly. Gently pick the leaves from the stems, handling them as little as possible to avoid bruising, which also causes blackening.
2. Add the garlic cloves to a food processor or blender and pulse a few times to roughly chop them before adding the other ingredients — this ensures even blending and prevents large chunks of raw garlic.
3. Add the dried basil leaves, grated parmesan, cashews (or your nut of choice), and the single ice cube to the food processor. The ice cube is key — it keeps the temperature low during blending, which helps preserve the pesto's bright green color.
4. With the food processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil through the feed tube until the pesto comes together into a thick, creamy, vibrant green sauce — this should take about 30–60 seconds of blending. Scrape down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust salt if necessary (parmesan is already salty, so be cautious).
5. If using within 1 week, transfer the pesto immediately to a clean jar or airtight container and pour a thin layer of olive oil over the surface to seal it from air — this prevents oxidation and keeps the pesto bright green. Store in the refrigerator.
6. If storing longer than a week, spoon the fresh pesto immediately into an ice cube tray, freeze until solid (about 2–3 hours), then transfer the frozen cubes to a sealed freezer bag. The pesto cubes will keep for up to 3 months and can be thawed individually as needed.
7. To serve, spread a generous amount of pesto over sliced crusty bread, top with thick slices of ripe tomato, and finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt and a light drizzle of olive oil for a simple and extraordinary bite.

---

💡 Tips & Variations

• The single ice cube trick is the secret to keeping your pesto a vivid, beautiful green — the cold prevents the heat from friction during blending from oxidizing the basil. Don't skip it!
• If you don't have cashews, pine nuts are the classic choice, but almonds, walnuts, or even pumpkin seeds all work wonderfully — each nut gives a slightly different flavor profile.
• Always cover stored pesto with a layer of olive oil in the jar — this simple step acts as an airtight seal and can extend refrigerator life to a full week while keeping the color fresh.

---

📝 Personal Notes

Add your tweaks, ratings, and observations after making this recipe.

Source: Instagram