Recipes to use up that glut of pesto

In the heat of summer basil spreads like weeds and though it is great with Maltese bread, tomatoes and oil, the best way to make use of it while it is so rampant is in pesto.

Basil is great friends with nuts and cheese and though traditional pesto alla Genovese is made with pine nuts and Parmesan, other nuts (walnuts and hazelnuts) and hard cheeses (pecorino and provolone) do just as well for a little bit of variety.

So, you’ve made tonnes of pesto and had your fair share of spaghetti (or any other pasta) with pesto and cheese. What else can you do with the stuff? Add it to sandwiches, salads, meats or fish for great added flavour, or follow these simple recipes to make these simple meals extra special.

Tips for perfect pesto

• Go easy on the garlic. As the garlic is not cooked in a traditional pesto recipe, the taste is strong and can overpower other flavours in the sauce. You should be able to taste all the ingredients in the pesto.
• Pine nuts go from being raw to burnt in the blink of an eye, so keep your eye on them while toasting.
• Allow toasted pine nuts to cool completely before adding them to the basil to prevent cooking the basil leaves.
• If making pesto to freeze, stop before you get to the cheese stage and freeze in an ice-tray to make individual portions. Defrost and add cheese before serving.

Pesto alla Genovese

Ingredients

• 2 cups basil, packed tightly
• ½ cup pine nuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2/3 cup Parmesan
• ½ chilli (optional)
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Dry fry the pine nuts or bake in a pre-heated oven at 180°C for 10 mins until golden, being careful not to burn them.
2. Blend the basil, pine nuts, Parmesan and chilli (if using) in a food processor.
3. Add the olive oil and blend into a smooth paste.
4. Season with salt and pepper.

Peach and provolone toastie

Ingredients

• 2 thick slices Maltese bread
• Butter
• 1 tbsp pesto
• 1 thick slice provolone
• ½ peach, sliced

Method

1.Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.

2.Butter both slices of bread on the outside.

3.Butter one slice on bread on the inside.

4.Spread the pesto over the buttered side.

5.Layer with cheese and slices of peach. Top with the other slice of bread.

6.Place the toastie on a hot griddle plan and cook for 2 mins on each side until golden.

7.Finish in the oven for a few mins until the cheese has melted.

8.Cut the toastie in half and serve immediately.

Pesto potato salad

Ingredients

• 10 new potatoes
• 1 tbsp pesto
• Olive oil
• 1 spring onion
• 1 green chilli (optional)
• Handful pine nuts, toasted

Method

1.Boil the new potatoes until tender (approx 20 mins depending on the size of the potato)

2.Peel the potatoes.

3.Mix with olive oil and pesto.

4.Top with sliced spring onion, chillis and pine nuts.

5.Serve warm or cold.

Cheesy pull apart bread

Ingredients

• 1 long loaf of bread (Maltese or French baguette)
• 113g butter, melted
• 1 tbsp pesto
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• Two large handfuls mixed cheeses, grated (cheddar, gbejna, provolone)
• 1 spring onion, sliced
• Handful pine nuts, toasted

Method

1.Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.

2.Take the loaf of bread and carefully cut diagonal lines all the way through the loaf. Do not cut through the loaf. Leave the bottom in tact so that it does not fall apart into slices.

3.Turn the loaf over and cut diagonal lines through the loaf again so that you have diamond shapes of bread that are easy to pull out.

4.Mix the melted butter with the crushed garlic and the pesto. Season with salt and pepper.

5.Put the loaf on a piece of foil large enough to wrap the whole loaf.

6.Pour the melted butter mixture over the bread, making sure it gets into all the cracks.

7.Stuff the grated cheese into the cracks, taking care not to break the loaf.

8.Wrap tightly with foil.

9.Bake for approx 25 mins until the cheese has melted.

10.Open the foil, top with sliced spring onion and toasted pine nuts and serve immediately in the foil.