I obviously didn’t consider the basil when I was trying to reduce our vegetable growing this year, as we have a dozen healthy plants all growing like the clappers, enough for a small restaurant not a downsized family!
The thing about basil, or any other herb, is that if you don’t pick them, they will flower and go to seed, so each week I go around the plants picking the tops off to prevent this from happening. This also encourages a bushier plant rather than a tall leggy one, so it is a good thing to do in more than one way.
Basil is a delicious summer herb, which can be used in many dishes, but it won’t keep its vibrant flavour for long if you can’t use it, which is where basil pesto comes in. If you are lucky enough to have a large picking of basil this is a very easy thing to make.
Our last picking coincided with some early courgettes and I made a very simple dish of pasta with courgettes, tuna, capers and olives all dressed with basil pesto. It takes five minutes to make the pesto and the sauce is ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta so it’s a very handy recipe.
There are a few considerations to bear in mind when making simple dishes like this. The best pasta shape to use is something like gnocchiette or conchiglie (little shells) or orecchiette (little ears) because they each have a sort of scoopable cavity to catch the sauce. The recipe won’t fail if you use a different shape but the sauce may slip off rather than gather.
The courgettes should be small rather than big as they carry more flavour and the best tuna is the Spanish Bonito del Norte, also known as white tuna. The brands like Ortiz available in delis and supermarkets or Palacio de Oriente which the olive guys sell in the market are readily available. You do pay a premium price but this tuna is fished sustainably and preserved in olive oil.
If you don’t have access to plenty of fresh basil just buy some but do check the ingredients as often they leave a lot to be desired. Fresh pesto is always available at the olive stall in the market.
If you want to make the recipe vegetarian just leave out the tuna, it’ll still be delicious just a little less protein.
Basil Pesto
Ingredients:
• 25g pine nuts
• 60g basil (2 big handfuls)
• 25g Parmesan cheese
• 1-2 cloves garlic
• 100ml olive oil
• a squeeze of lemon juice
• salt
Method:
Roughly chop the garlic.
Place the pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, basil, parmesan and salt into a jug and using a hand held blender blitz to a smooth sauce, or use a nutribullet if you have one.
Check the seasoning and the pesto is ready. If it’s too thick, add a little more olive oil. Use what you need then put the remainder into a small jar and pour a little olive oil over the top. This will stop the pesto from oxidising. Store in the fridge and use within the week.
Pasta with Courgettes, Tuna and Basil Pesto
Serves 2-3
Ingredients:
• 250g pasta
• 2-3 small courgettes
• 2-3tbs olive oil
• tbs capers, rinsed
• 1tbs stoned black olives, cut in half
• 1 can best tuna you can find
• salt and black pepper
• 2-3tbs basil pesto
• grated parmesan to serve
Method:
Put a large pot of water to boil then add a generous amount of salt.
Add the pasta, give it a stir then set the timer. Read the pasta package for cooking times.
Rinse the capers and cut the olives in half.
Cut the courgettes into quarters lengthwise, then dice into 2cm cubes.
Heat a small pan, add enough olive oil to just coat the bottom of the pan and the courgettes. Cook on a high heat until sizzling, then reduce a little. Cook for three minutes, then season with salt and cracked black pepper. Tip the courgettes into a bowl, then return the pan to the heat, turn the heat to low, then add the contents of the can of tuna ( if you have regular tuna drain the liquid then use a little olive oil instead of the juices from the can) Add the capers and olives then gently mix together. Don’t completely smash the tuna, it’s good to have some lumpy bits. Add the courgettes back to the mix.
Put the basil pesto into a small bowl.
As soon as the timer goes off for the pasta, take two to three spoonfuls of the pasta water and mix it with the pesto; this will make the pesto into a pourable sauce. Drain the pasta into a colander over the bowl you are going to use to serve the pasta – this will heat the bowl. Tip the pasta into the warm bowl, pour the basil pesto over the top then scatter the courgette/tuna mix on top.
Serve with grated parmesan cheese.
Here’s hoping for a sunny July (with a little rain at night the garden would be in paradise!)
Karen
Lettercollum, Timoleague
karen@lettercollum.ie
www.lettercollum.ie
