Fast Fridays: Basil & Zucchini Pesto

Pesto is one of those things that sounds mysterious and difficult to make, but in fact, it’s incredibly fast, easy, and satisfying to whip up. Once it’s made, you can bake it on pizza dough for a pesto pizza, use it as a sauce for pasta, rub it on chicken or fish, spread it on Italian bread and toast for basil bruschetta–it even freezes well, so it can be made ahead of time and whipped out for a last-minute dinner to impress–there are a ton of great applications.

Traditional pesto calls for pine nuts, lots of fresh basil, garlic, and olive oil. I love the unique creamy nuttiness that pine nuts add, but if they are too rich for your wallet (they are some pricey little nuts!), do not despair, as walnuts or pistachios make a great replacement. The flavor is a little different, but if you’re using a lot of basil and garlic, it will hardly be noticeable. Since basil is made with very few ingredients, make sure to use good quality ingredients, and in the case of the basil, be sure it’s fresh. If you don’t have enough basil on hand (it can take a lot to get the right consistency), sometimes I like to fake it with a little supplemental veg. Choose something that’s pretty neutral in flavor like zucchini (that’s courgette, for you Brits), and blend away. There are a ton of great basic recipes online, and once you’ve done it a few times, you won’t even need to follow a recipe, so much as eyeball and then adjust for flavor and consistency.

Go ahead and try it! I’m sure you’ll find that it becomes a staple in your cooking.