Summer garden

The madness of Christmas has subsided and my garden was in desperate need of some tlc. My tomato, zucchini, bean and cucumber seedlings were growing nicely as the weather has been warmer. However, they were slowly being taken over by weeds!

Today was a mild morning so it wasn't too hot to spend a couple of hours weeding. I dread weeding but the end result is always worth it and my plants will reward me later with summer veg:-) 

I also visited the nursery later and bought some more seedlings ( eggplant, chilli, capsicum, more herbs and beans ), and some sugar cane mulch to try and keep those weeds away!

Let's see how long it is before harvest!

Creamy basil pesto recipe

This is a recipe that I've been cooking now for about 10 years and am yet to find anyone who dislikes it. It's healthy ish, green, garlicky, filling and doesn't take long to make.

You will need.

Packet of pasta of your choice

Bunch of basil

5 cloves of garlic

300ml ish of cream of your choice...I used thickened

5 tablespoons of pine nuts 

Handful of Parmesan and extra to serve

About half a cup of olive oil

Salt to taste

Method

Start by browning your pine nuts in a frypan until lightly brown over a low to medium heat.

In a blender add a quater of a cup of oil, your basil bunch, crushed garlic cloves and pine nuts.

Start blending your mix. You may find that not much is happening. If this occurs start to add the remainder of your oil in stream from the top. I often turn it off, open it and squash it all down with a spoon to help it along. Continue to process until you get a smooth mixture.

At this stage add a handful of Parmesan and process again. Add about a teaspoon of salt or less depending on your preference. When you taste your pesto at this stage, the garlic will be very strong. Don't stress! The cream will mellow it down. If you still find after eating this dish that the garlic is too strong then reduce the cloves until you find what works. Remember though that garlic in this raw form has amazing medicinal properties!

Once you have your pesto mix, bring some water to the boil in a large pot and cook your pasta according to the cooking instructions. Today we had ricotta and spinach tortellini. If you have the skills and a great amount of time, make your own pasta. It tastes divine with gnocchi.

In the same pan that you browned your pine nuts in, over a low heat add your cream. Combine that gently with all of the pesto and slowly simmer.

Once your pasta has finished cooking, strain it and return to the pot. Add all of the cream sauce and gently combine.

Enjoy!

You could also add some browned pine nuts on top. I've also made this with some cooked chicken. If your brave, you could skip the cream and just stir through the pesto with the pasta.