pesto, oh!

i've loved pesto my whole life but used to be entirely unimpressed by homemade versions. no idea why, but now it just works :) for a genovese-style meal, cook a medium potato and a handful of green beans and serve with pesto on top of spaghetti. if you don't have the roasted garlic (wrap a head of garlic in foil and bake at 180C for 30 mins), gently pan fry 4 cloves of minced garlic in a teaspoon of oil on low-medium heat for 2 minutes, being careful not to brown. raw garlic should be avoided in this recipe. 

1 oven roasted whole head of garlic

0.5c raw cashews (or pine nuts, walnuts, or soaked almonds, or a combination)

0.5c olive oil

0.25c nutritional yeast flakes (from health food store)

1Tbs apple cider (or white) vinegar 

0.25tsp salt and ground pepper, plus more to taste

3-4 bunches of fresh basil (try your local Asian grocer- usually fresher and cheaper than supermarket basil, though may taste slightly different to Italian basil)

rinse the basil and remove large stems- small stems are fine. 

blend all ingredients except the basil in a food processor until well blended but not entirely smooth. add basil a handful at a time to the processor and blend before adding another handful. adjust seasoning to taste.