Walnut and Basil Pesto

This is a gorgeous pesto recipe (served here with penne and spinach leaves simply stirred through), it makes a good batch that works well with a heap of different meals and keeps for a good week in the fridge. It makes enough for at least five different meals, if not more.

I used walnuts once as I didn’t have any pine nuts in stock and this is now my go-to for pesto as I love the silky, almost creamy finish that walnuts afford.

This couldn’t be simpler to make and I have a few posts coming up that will demonstrate the versatility.

You can play around with the quantities too – this is a quicky that works for me, but you might prefer more garlic, basil or even oil for a thinner consistency.

Also when I’m making a batch for the baby to enjoy, I tend to use a Cheddar rather than Parmesan as it tends to have a slightly lower salt content and also it’s something I always have in stock.

Here’s how:

About 30-40g fresh basil – stalks as well as leaves
60g walnuts
2 cloves garlic
5 tbsp good quality olive oil
Pinch of salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

60g Parmesan or other hard cheese

Firstly peel and roughly chop the garlic. Roughly chop the walnuts too then add both to the blender. (You can use a pestle and mortar but I blitz it all together in my blender.)

Add the basil as is, the olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice and grate in the cheese.

Blitz together on a medium mode for 1 minute which should leave you with a smooth, creamy pesto. Taste and add seasoning to your preference – add more lemon if you prefer it slightly zingy.

To make the pictured dish – simply cook 75g penne per person to pack instructions. Before draining, retain 1 tablespoon of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return to the pan on the lowest heat.

Add 1 tablespoon per person of the pesto and stir through thoroughly ensuring every piece is coated. Stir the spinach leaves through and serve immediately.

Applewood Spreadable Challenge: Cheesy Pea, Leek and Pancetta Gnocchi Bake

The lovely people at Applewood Cheese invited 20 food bloggers, including myself, to take part in the #SpreadStirShare challenge – a fun initiative to come up with family-friendly recipes using their latest product – Applewood Spreadable. I was sent a lovely hamper filled with some gorgeous fresh produce, a sample of Applewood Spreadable and a bottle of Concha Y Toro Sunrise Merlot all of which certainly gave me some food for thought!

Applewood Cheese has been around since 1965, when it was developed in Ilchester; and is famed for its’ distinct, smoked flavour that’s finished with a sprinkling of paprika. Being a fan of smoky cheeses I was keen to try the Applewood Spreadable to see if this new variety had kept all of the qualities that make the original stand out. I was impressed with the strong smoky flavour that has remained in what really is a versatile product.

The challenge is entitled #SpreadStirShare to highlight the many ways in which Applewood Spreadable can be enjoyed and I’m happy to say that outside of the three recipes that I’ve created and will share over the following three posts, I have ideas for many more dishes in which Applewood Spreadable could work well.

My first recipe is a Cheesy Pea, Leek and Pancetta Gnocchi Bake that’s finished with a crushed walnut crumb to give a lovely nutty crust and added texture. Served with some salad this made a delicious, hearty meal for four.

Here’s how:

500g fresh gnocchi

100-150g fresh leeks, trimmed

2 cloves garlic

150g pancetta

75g fresh peas

2 tbsp crème fraiche

60g Applewood Spreadable

7-8 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tbsp crushed walnuts

10g grated Cheddar or Parmesan

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tbsp olive oil

Firstly chop the leeks finely and crush the garlic. Add the olive oil to a pan on a medium heat and gently sauté the leeks and garlic.

Dice the pancetta and add to the pan once the leeks have started to soften. Stir through and allow to cook for five minutes.

In the meantime cook the gnocchi in a pan of salted, boiling water – two minutes maximum as the gnocchi will be baked in the oven and otherwise they will become a mush if overcooked. Drain and set aside for a moment.

Add the fresh peas to the pan with the leeks and pancetta and allow to cook for another minute or so; and then stir through the crème fraiche and the Applewood Spreadable. Once the cheese has melted into the crème fraiche to make an even, silky sauce, remove from the heat and stir through the drained gnocchi, ensuring every little piece is evenly coated.

Season generously and then run your fingers through 3-4 sprigs of the thyme to extract the leaves and stir through then transfer to an oven-proof dish. (I used a dish suitable for both the hob and the oven to save on washing up!)

Either place the walnuts in a food bag and crush with a rolling pin or do the same with a pestle and mortar or a food processor and scatter over the top of the dish to make a crumb that will turn golden brown during cooking. Scatted over the 10g of grated hard cheese and finally place the remaining sprigs of thyme across the dish.

Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the top has turned a glorious golden brown. Enjoy!

To find out more about Applewood Cheese, Applewood Spreadable and the #SpreadStirShare challenge as well as keeping up with the other recipes from some fabulous other bloggers check out the Applewood news blog: http://applewoodcheese.co.uk/blog.php