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. 

weeknight simple: something with roasted veggies

when it's not too hot and you want an easy but classy meal, preheat your oven to 250C and get

a baking tray
1 big zucchini
1 small aubergine
1 large red capsicum
2 medium tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
oregano, thyme and/or rosemary

slice the veggies into 2cm thick chunks; cover with a drizzle of oil and seasoning. bake for 15 minutes, then jiggle the tray to turn the veg around, and bump the heat up to 280C for another 10 minutes or just til you start to get small spots of charring. when the veg is tender, splash a little balsamic vinegar over, and serve hot on pasta, brown rice or at room temperature on a bed of rocket or mesclun. great as a wrap filling for a quick but snazzy work lunch, too!

sugo and gnocchi class

yesterday's tomato sugo and gnocchi class at spotswood community house was amazing! the coordinators and volunteers who made it possible were amazing, as were the hard working, very enthusiastic participants. looking forward to more soon!