Sweet Basil Pesto











I have been a little lazy in the kitchen lately falling back on the same old dishes so I decided it was time to try harder especially as Ramadan begins in a couple of weeks. I tried making a pesto with the sweet basil (Rayhan) we grow in the garden it turned out well, but next time I

think I will add more basil. I used a bunch of basil, 2 cloves of garlic, a pinch of salt, olive oil and a couple of tablespoons of toasted pine nuts pounded together in a pestle and mortar.

Does anyone have a recipe I could use sweet basil in they could share with me?

Home

Homemade bread from my Mother-in-law.

Growing for our soon to be roof garden;

English lavender

Tangerine trees

Alyssum

French Lavender

Morning glory

Black eyed susans

Gazania

Mesembryanthemum

Homemade


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a pot of sunshine



 Eid is coming so I'm busy making sweet things. I made some lovely lemon curd to make into tarts (quickly before it gets eaten up with toast!!!!)

Amendment

In my rush of self satisfaction at having made my own Lemon curd ( and honestly it more than likely wouldn't have happened if I could find it over here!!! ) I neglected to share the recipe I used. So I will immediately make amends. I actually have more than one, but this time I used the recipe from; Oranges and Lemons, Recipes from the Mediterranean by Sarah Woodward.
Makes 1 large jar or several smaller pots
2 large unwaxed lemons
200g (7oz) of white sugar
100g (31/2oz) of unsalted butter
4 large whole eggs, preferably free-range

Finely zest the lemons and then squeeze the juice and strain. Either use a double boiler or (my preferred approach) a glass bowl resting over a simmering pan of water on a medium heat, placed so that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the surface of the water.
Add the lemon zest, juice and sugar to the bowl and stir well to dissolve. Cut the butter into chunks and add to the pan a little at a time, stirring all the time, until the butter melts.
Beat the eggs well. Take the bowl off the water and add the beaten eggs to the lemon, sugar and butter mixture. Stir all together well and then replace the bowl above the simmering water. This is the tricky bit. You need to cook the curd for about 15 minutes, stirring all the time, but never letting it approach a boil or the mixture will curdle. If it looks like getting too hot, briefly remove the bowl from over the water (this is why I prefer this method to a double boiler). Resist the temptation to turn up the heat under thew water-the curd does take quite a long time to thicken but when it does it will do so quickly. And do keep stirring, using a wooden rather than a metallic spoon.
When the mixture is thick (and remember that it will thicken further as it chills) pour it into several little pots. Cover with grease-proof paper, seal with an elastic band and chill well before using.

I did manage to make a few little tarts for Eid  and I had some left for spreading on toast. Really delicious. Let me know how it goes and what you make with it.