All posts tagged: homemade pesto

Roasted Heirloom Tomato Tart with Pesto and Dill

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Last weekend, my fiancé and I got our dates completely mixed up and thought it was Easter. So we exchanged easter eggs, and had a nice dinner. Then yesterday, we realised it is this coming Sunday! Oh well, we’ll just have two Easters this year! I love this time of year, where daffodils are peeking up, the birds are chirping and spring is in the air. And I really love easter as a way of celebrating all that the new season is giving us. This delicious Roasted Tomato Tart isn’t strictly a spring dish, it is in fact a summer dish that I made last year, with my bountiful amount of homegrown tomatoes. I adore growing tomatoes, as the colour varieties are endless, and it makes for some really vibrant dishes. Chocolate Cherry, White Cherry, Yellow Grape and Beef Steak Tomatoes where just some of last years produce – they almost made up the entire colour wheel. For this homemade quiche, I added homemade pesto to the recipe to give it an extra punch of …

Yellow Squash and Lemon Pasta with Creamy Rocket Pesto

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If I’m not entirely mistaken, putting raisins in pasta (or Pizza) dishes is a Sicilian thing. And I’m glad I discovered it. Its not that I’ve got a sweet tooth, I just love food that has a sweet/savory combo going on. And this dish definitely does. I pulled this dish together the other day, as my yellow ‘crook neck’ squash’s are producing lots of small tasty fruits, and they taste best lightly cooked, and al dente. I also have a fantastic amount of peppery rocket needing eaten. And so often when I’m gardening, recipes make themselves out of what fruit and veg is ripe just that very day.   This pasta dish is fresh and light, perfect for the middle of summer, but filling and satisfying all at the same time. This is definitely a dish to enjoy outdoors on the terrace on a hot day – dreaming yourself away to Sicily…. ________________________________________________ Serves 4 500g farfalle pasta 1 medium yellow squash 1 small courgette 1 garlic clove a handful golden sultanas a small handful …

Pumpkin Seed Pesto Pizza with Yellow Squash and Goats Cheese

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  Pumpkin Seed Pesto Pizza with Yellow Squash, Goats Cheese and Dill My garden is thriving, as the summer is at last here for definite! I’ve got various salads, including hot and peppery rocket, butter lettuce, chard, spinach..to name a few. And of course dill, which I use as a salad ingredient most days. Freshly picked, nothing beats the aromatic flavour of dill. It adds depth and contrast to this pizza, and is a match made in heaven with goats cheese. This pizza came about as Al Fresco dining was on the cards last week, as it had been a hot afternoon, and the promise of a warm evening was guaranteed! But after the decision had been made that pizza was on the menu, I realized I didn’t have my store cupboard staple – Pesto. But as I mentioned above, my rocket and spinach was doing well, so I quickly threw one together. The lack of pine nuts didn’t put me off, I just substituted them with pumpkin seeds, they do the job nicely! Here’s …

Pizza Florentine with Egg, Spinach and Homemade Pesto

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I make homemade pizza a lot, with a variety of toppings, but one that always makes an impression is the egg topping on Pizza Florentine. It looks impressive and tastes great too. I like it for lunch, but I think it would be great for brunch too. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Dough 300g strong organic flour ½ tsp fast action yeast 2 tbsp olive oil 170ml water ½ tsp salt Topping 4 tbsp of pasata 2 eggs a handful of spinach 6 cherry tomatoes 1 mozzarella ball 1 tbsp of dried oregano or a sprig of fresh 3 tbsp homemade pesto  Get that recipe here 3 or 4 basil leaves salt and pepper to taste ____________________________________________________________________________________ If you have a bread machine, whack the ingredients in that, and follow your manufacturers guidelines for making dough. If you are making it by hand, here’s how: Tip the flour, salt and yeast into a large bowl and make a well in the middle. Pour the water and oil into the well and in a circular motion start to gather the …

Jerusalem Artichoke and Goats Cheese Tart with Pine Nuts and Homemade Pesto

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Jerusalem Artichoke and Goats Cheese Tart with Pine Nuts and Homemade Pesto Jerusalem Artichokes, a relative of the Sunflower, are in season during the winter months from October to March and are therefore a great vegetable to enjoy right now. They are rich in vitamin C and K and originate from Mexico, but thrives in the British garden. In this recipe I have combined a sharp counterpart in form of the Goats Cheese, to the mild tasting Jerusalem Artichokes. And adding homemade pesto gives the whole dish a rich feel. I also used my ‘birthday present eggs’! They were a gift from my good friends’ chickens! ____________________________________________________________________________________ Short Crust Pastry 200g plain flour 100g butter, cubed 2-3 tbsp cold water pinch of salt Filling 400g jerusalem artichokes, peeled 3 large handfuls of spinach 2 eggs 150g goats cheese 250ml single cream tsp ground nutmeg half a lemon, juiced 3 tbsp homemade pesto, recipe here pinch of salt and pepper ____________________________________________________________________________________ In a large bowl, use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until …

Winter Pesto with Kale, Rocket, Walnuts and Cashews

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Winter Pesto with Kale, Rocket, Walnuts and Cashews Homemade pesto is so fun and easy to make. It can practically be made with any leafy green, this time I have gone for a seasonal winter green, Kale. Walnuts and cashews make this pesto luxurious and the rich parmesan really cuts through more than in the shop bought variety. This recipe makes two jars worth and is packed full of super zinging vitamins needed at winter time. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 130g kale 70g rocket 75g parmesan or grana padano cheese 30g walnuts 30g cashews 3 cloves of garlic 100ml extra virgin olive oil 1 lemon, juice of salt & pepper to taste ____________________________________________________________________________________ Start my bringing a large pan of water to the boil and blanch the kale for 3-4 min until tender. Drain the kale and set aside. Wash the rocket and dry with a clean dish cloth. Using a food processor, wiz the cheese, nuts and garlic for a few seconds. Then add the kale and rocket. The rocket might not fit at first, but once …