Basil pesto pasta

Ingredients for 2 portions:

• 280g pasta
• salt

• 150g fresh basil
• 50g pine nuts
• 50g Parmesan cheese
• 5g garlic
• 1 lemon
• 60g olive oil
• 0.12 teaspoon salt

• 2 mozzarella/burrata balls
• heirloom tomatoes

Methods:

• Start boiling the pasta in a pot of salty water.
• Very roughly chop the basil and the garlic. Grate the Parmesan. Zest the lemon. Cut the tomatoes into bite sized pieces.
• In a bowl, combine basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon zest, 10g of lemon juice, olive oil and salt. Handblender it into a pesto. Mix in the Parmesan. Taste and adjust salt and acidity (lemon juice).
• Once the pasta is ready, place a mug in the sink before draining the pasta to reserve some pasta water, just in case.
• Immediately mix the pasta with the pesto. If needed, add some pasta water.
• Serve each portion topped with a mozzarella/burrata ball and tomatoes.

Notes: Wild garlic pesto is amazing. Simply substitute basil and garlic for 130g of wild garlic leaves.