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Easy Basil Pesto made instone mortar and pestle, with some of the mustardy green pesto showing at the top of the mortar. On a yellow background
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Basil Pesto in Mortar and Pestle/ Easy Home made Basil Pesto

Fresh Basil leaves, extra virgin Olive oil, Parmesan/ Pepper jack cheese, Pine nuts/ walnuts/ Pista all go in to make a delicious Basil pesto hand pounded in the old fashioned way in a stone mortar and pestle. The texture and flavours are better than anything you can get at the store.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 minutes
Processing Time10 minutes
Total Time22 minutes
Course: condiments, Dips
Cuisine: continental, Mediterranean
Keyword: Basil Pesto, pesto
Servings: 1 cup
Calories: 1111kcal
Author: Sujata Shukla

Equipment

  • Mortar and Pestle
  • Salad Spinner

Ingredients

  • cup Pine Nuts
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 1 Pinch Salt
  • 3 cups Fresh Basil Leaves
  • cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • teaspoon Salt Or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon Fresh Ground Black Pepper
  • cup Grated Parmesan Cheese or Romano or Pepper Jack cheese
  • 1 tablespoon Water optional, if required for grinding

Instructions

  • Use good quality ingredients for the best results. Please see the write up in the post above for details.

Preparation for Basil Pesto:

  • Heat a pan till completely dry and hot, and roast the pine nuts on a medium flame for 1 minute, stirring all the time and removing them from the pan before they turn dark.
    Peel the garlic.
    Remove stems and thick stalks from the basil. Rinse and spin dry them in a salad spinner or with a kitchen napkin. Try to remove as much moisture as possible as this will keep the pesto for a longer time without spoiling.
    Grind pepper corns as fine as you can for fresh ground pepper powder.
    Check that the mortar and pestle you are going to use for the pesto, are clean and dry.

How To Make Basil Pesto In Mortar And Pestle

  • Pound the garlic and salt together in the mortar, till garlic is crushed.
    Add the pine nuts little by little and pound till each batch is crushed.
    Add some of the basil leaves, crush and grind them. Add more leaves and continue grinding.
    Add some of the olive oil, use it to help grind the leaves. Add some more as you continue to process the basil leaves.
    Periodically stir the mixture and scrape it off the bottom of the mortar and the bottom of the pestle and add the scrapings back for further processing.
    If needed, add not more than one tablespoon of water, to help grind the leaves. The lesser the water used, the longer the pesto will stay without spoiling and the more enhanced the flavours.
  • Once the basil leaves are ground to a level that you cannot see individual bits of leaves and it is a coarse paste, add a very little salt. Mix it in, taste and add a little more if required. Keep the salt to a minimum so that the fresh flavours of the other ingredients comes through.
  • Add the freshly ground pepper powder, grind it into the other ingredients.
    Add some of the grated cheese, grind it in and add some more till all the cheese has been mixed into the pesto.
  • Use fresh Basil pesto as a sauce for pasta or to spread on pizza, sandwiches, quesadilla or use it to add flavour to soups and salads.
    Will keep fresh if refrigerated for 3-4 days. Or freeze in an ice tray, remove the frozen cubes, pack them in a food grade plastic bag in the freezer and they should keep for about a month.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 2tablespoons | Calories: 1111kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 113g | Saturated Fat: 18g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 846mg | Potassium: 523mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 4086IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 508mg | Iron: 5mg