Lemon basil pesto or pistou?
- The downside to pesto is that it usually contains nuts and cheese.
- Pesto’s ‘cousin’, the French pistou is pesto without nuts as well as pesto without cheese.
- And ideal if you are cooking for people who either are lactose intolerant (i.e. no cheese) or can’t eat nuts.
- Or you prefer pesto which is not as ‘oily’ as some tend to be.
Pistou is really easy to make a great for a ‘quick & easy’ mid week meal. In addition cocktail sausages are also easy and add real flavour to pasta.
When you grow lemon basil you will have lots of leaves, which are great as an ingredient.
There are lots of lemon basil recipes, but it is especially great when used to make pesto or pistou.
Lemon basil pistou pasta with cocktail sausages recipe
Great mid-week meal that takes very little time to cook.
To make lemon basil pistou pasta with cocktail sausages recipe will need the following
Lemon basil pistou ingredients:
- 480 ml Fresh lemon basil
- 80 ml Extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 cloves garlic if softneck, 4 cloves if hardneck (see below)
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Optional – lemon juice (see below)
Lemon basil pistou pasta with cocktail sausages ingredients:
- 80 g pasta (per person)
- 10 Pork cocktail sausages per person
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
Equipment
- Chef’s knife
- Measuring jug
- Garlic crusher
- Food blender
- Baking tray
- Large saucepan
Instructions
Step 1 – Make the lemon basil pistou
- Prepare the ingredients:
- Cut the lemon basil leaves from the plant (they will re-grow very quickly). You will need 480 ml of loosely packed leaves in a measuring jug, rinse them and pat them dry with a bit of kitchen paper.
- Get the other ingredients ready – peel and crush the garlic, put the olive oil in the measuring jug.
- To make the pistou:
- Add half of the olive oil into your food blender, and then add the basil leaves and crushed garlic.
- Blend until the leaves are well chopped up
- Then (still blending) add the other 40 ml of olive oil, keep blending until smooth. Then also add the salt & pepper to taste.
- Optionally (depending on your lemon basil plant), you might add some lemon juice but this is very much to your own preferred taste.
Step 2 – To make pistou pasta with cocktail sausages
The pasta in the video & picture uses authentic Italian pasta, but any good quality pasta will work
- Prepare the pasta
- Add required quantity to boiling water
- Cook for time as stated on packet
- Prepare the sausages
- At the same time put the cocktail sausages o a baking tray in the oven – for time specified on the packet. (probably about 6 to 10 minutes)
- Drain the pasta
- Add the lemon basil pistou and then the sausages
2 Key notes
Note 1 – Hardneck or softneck garlic?
Pistou is originally made in France using locally grown hardneck garlic – which tends to be stronger in flavour then softneck garlic.
Virtually all garlic sold in the UK tends to be softneck (mostly imported from China) i.e. in most cases you will need more garlic for your pistou recipe. For more info have a look at our guide to garlic
Note 2 – Lemon juice
Fresh lemon basil does have a real flavour of lemon, and you might not need to add any lemon juice.
However, do taste the pistou and you can always add some lemon juice (maybe 1 table spoon) if required.
How to grow Lemon basil at home
Lemon basil is very easy to grow at home.
For step by step advice have a look at ‘how to grow basil indoors’
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Lemon basil pistou pasta with cocktail sausages
Equipment
- 1 Chef Knife
- 1 measuring jug
- 1 Garlic crusher
- 1 Food processor
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Saucepan
- 1 Sieve or strainer
Ingredients
- 480 ml Lemon basil leaves 2 cups
- 90 ml Extra virgin olive oil
- 8 cloves Garlic Or 4 cloves if hardneck
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice Optional
- 240 g Pasta
- 40 Pork cocktail sausages
Instructions
Step 1 – make the lemon basil pistou
- Cut the lemon basil leaves from the plant (they will re-grow very quickly). You will need 480 ml of loosely packed leaves in a measuring jug, rinse them and pat them dry with a bit of kitchen paper.Get the other ingredients ready – peel and crush the garlic, put the olive oil in the measuring jug.
- Add half of the olive oil into your food blender, and then add the basil leaves and crushed garlic. Blend until the leaves are well chopped up
- Then (still blending) add the other 40 ml of olive oil, keep blending until smooth. Then also add the salt & pepper to taste. Optionally (depending on your lemon basil plant), you might add some lemon juice but this is very much to your own preferred taste.
Step 2 – to make pistou pasta with cocktail sausages
- Add required pasta quantity to boiling water, Cook for time as stated on packetAt the same time put the cocktail sausages on a baking tray in the oven for the time specified on the packet (often about 6 to 10 minutes)
- Drain the pasta. Add the lemon basil pistou and then add the sausages
Video
Nutrition
More information
Hopefully the lemon basil pistou pasta recipe might inspire you to grow your own fresh basil at home.
When you are cooking fresh herbs tend to make a real difference to the results. Herbs are really easy to grow at home and many of them grow really fast.
To grow your own basil
Basil is very easy to grow your own at home in your kitchen, dining room, etc. For the best & fastest results all you will need are seeds, growing system and some growing lights. There is detailed description of the – How to grow basil indoors
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