Recipe - Fresh Basil Pesto Pesto is one of those ingredients you can use in a multiude of recipes from a quick chicken and pesto sandwich on freshly baked bread, to a Moreton Bay Bug and creamy pesto fettucine.

When buying Basil try your local green grocer or farmers market as the freshness of the basil is very important in making the best pesto.

1 Bunch of basil - pick leaves from stalks

100grms pine nuts

4 Cloves of fresh garlic

150grms grated fresh parmesan cheese - pecorino if possible

250 mls extra virgin olive oil

Salt & Pepper

 

Place basil in blender  with gaflic and pine nuts, blend for 30 seconds, scape down the sides of blender and add parmesan, continue blending adding olive oil until you reach a semi smooth consistency, add salt and pepper, if pesto seems a bit dry add some more oil and blend.

Place pesto in storage container, will keep for approx a week in fridge.

Tip cover pesto in storage container with a thin layer of oil to help it from discolouring.

For a great treat at your next dinner party try making fresh Mayonnaise and finishing it with 2 tablespoons of pesto, use it on bruchetta with fresh tomato, or as a dip for fresh cut vegetables.

The Scoville Scale Test

Chillies are available consistently throughout Australia.  They vary in size, colour and intensity.  Chilli is a great addition to many recipes.  It can be difficult to determine how hot a chilli will be without practicing when cooking.   In 1912 American chemist Wilbur Scoville devised a test to rate the heat of chilli peppers.   This test is now known as the Scoville scale , where chillies can be rated on their heat and intensity.

Some common examples are;  

Capiscum is a zero on the Scoville scale

Jalapeno pepper is 2,500-5,000 Scoville

The Common Red/Green Cayenne pepper in Australia is 25,000-50,000 Scoville

Birds eye chili is 50,000-100,000 Scoville

From India the Bhut Jolokia is a whopping 850,000-1,100,000 Scoville

Roasting chilli on the bbq before using will leave a great extra taste to your recipe.


Experimenting with chilli can be a lot of fun, try slicing a Red Cayenne Chilli nice and fine then tossing it through a Mango and Prawn Salad.  The heat of the chilli and the sweetness of the mango works extremely well together.  The chilli will give the mango an enhances wonderful  flavour.

Adding extra sliced Green Chilli to you next Thai Green Cicken Curry will give it the bite you have been looking for.

Try blending fresh garlic, ginger, red chilli, oil and lemon juice until pureed, marinated sliced chicken breast for half an hour and cook on the bbq,  serve with fresh salad.

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