Quick Cuisine: Pesto Toast

It is St. Patrick’s Day. So an easy excuse for me to make something green. I’m not a green beer kinda gal and cupcakes in lockdown seem ambitious. So pesto! Easy, quick and delicious. If you don’t have pine nuts, you can also use walnuts or pistachios. I like both in their own ways. I use the same toast recipe from the bruschetta. This tasty toast pairs well with a bowl of soup or a glass of prosecco - you decide!

Ingredients

• Crusty thick bread slices for toasts

• 65 grams/2 1/2 cups fresh basil, already rinsed and dried (only fresh basil, dried basil will not work out)

• 1 garlic clove, stem removed

• 26 grams/1/4 cup of grated parmesan (yes, you can use the stuff in the green can - zero judgement)

• 40 grams/ 1/4 cup pine nuts (pignoli)

• 60 ml/ 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice (the cute pre-squeezed lemon stuff works as well)

• salt + pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. Drizzle a bit of olive oil (you can use a brush if you feel fancy) on the bread and bake for 15-20 min until golden brown. While the bread is baking, prep the pesto. Put the basil, garlic, parmesan, pine nuts and olive oil in a food processor (or you can use a stick blender). Blend until smooth and add the lemon juice and stir through. Taste the pesto. At this point, you can season it with salt and pepper or add more oil if you want. When the bread is ready, let it cool for a few minutes or the pesto will melt. You can take an additional garlic clove and and rub against the hot bread for a punch. This is great with a vegetable soup, or by itself. Enjoy!