Spinach and roasted hazelnut pesto

It wasn't until last year, when I made pesto for the first time, that I realised how much better homemade can be than the ready-made sort I'd always been happy to use before. Recently I needed pesto for a recipe I was demonstrating at a foodie show and so started experimenting with some different flavours for it. This came out really well and I think it'll be my go-to pesto recipe from now on. The best thng about it is that because it's not as sharp as ready-made, it works really well as a dip with a little mayo added, and as a spread on croutons as a canapé or a starter just as it is.

30g baby spinach leaves

1 tbsp olive oil

5 basil leaves

half a clove of garlic 

25g roasted hazelnuts

25g parmesan, grated (or vegetarian alternative)

one and a half tbsp lemon juice

Whizz all the ingredients together, then store in a screwtop jar or airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.

Serves 4-6

A COOK’S PLOT TIP: I bought roasted, ready-ground hazelnuts in Waitrose but if you buy them whole and unroasted, dry-toast them in a frying pan until they begin to release a lovely aroma, and then add them to the food processor 

A COOK’S PLOT TIP 2: This is my original pesto recipe - it's really good too!
https://a-cooks-plot.blogspot.com/2019/02/how-to-grow-basil-in-winter.html

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