DIY pesto - to make or to buy? - Food Blog

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DIY pesto - to make or to buy?

Posted at 12:02PM, 07 November 2012 by Roxanne Fisher - Writer/Sub-editor, bbcgoodfood.com

Is it always worth making your favourites from scratch? Our DIY series puts shop-bought and homemade to the test - this week, pesto...

The ultimate standby sauce, pesto can instantly transform a tired pasta pot into a taste sensation and can give chicken dishes and comforting soups a new lease of life. Just a few small spoonfuls can unleash a gargantuan taste, meaning a small amount can go a long, long way. Always with a sealed jar in the cupboard, I've committed to giving homemade a try. Slightly skeptical it can't possibly be improved upon; I put both to the test...

The cost:

Cost of shop-bought classic green pesto:
Supermarket own brand - £1.50 (190g jar)

Cost of ingredients for homemade green pesto:
Ingredients - £4.50 (approx 260g)

The pesto recipe I used: Classic pesto

The recipe I followed yielded more pesto than I got in the shop-bought jar, but the cost of pricey ingredients such as pine nuts and Parmesan meant it wasn't better value to make my own.

Tip:

If you have a bit of garlic and olive oil in your storecupboard and your own basil plants this would bring the cost of the ingredients down to about £2.25. Don't forget to make the most of any leftovers. Scatter a few pine nuts over pasta dishes, grate Parmesan over creamy chicken and use basil to garnish your finished plates.

The making:

With just one step between my small huddle of ingredients and my very own pesto sauce, I was still pleasantly surprised as to how easy this was to make. It even reconnected me with my previously underused food processor, though the good old-fashioned pestle and mortar method would have done the trick with a little effort.

Tip:

Some of the comments at the bottom of the recipe really intrigued me - suggestions of using cashews or walnuts instead of pine nuts and adding a bit of spice with some chopped chilli definitely sound like they're worth a try!

The taste:

Before even tasting it, the delightful smell of the homemade pesto was incomparable to shop-bought. I hadn't divulged I was making my own, but everyone recognised a difference in taste, texture and aroma. When I first tried it, the most notable flavour was the garlic, making me wonder if a little more basil and just one clove would provide a more balanced taste. There were no complaints though - homemade was a unanimous hit!

The verdict:

I was so surprised by how easy, quick and delicious the homemade pesto was. All the possibilities for different combinations and substitutions really appeals to me and I will definitely make my own again. Saying that, I can't imagine I'll be a devout pesto maker, the jar in the cupboard still has its place, for convenience and cost if nothing else.

Fancy having a go at making your own? Try the pesto recipe I used.

What are your top tips for making pesto? Do you prefer making your own or buying it in?

Comments

Ellie McG

7 November 2012, 8:50PM
Ellie McG

we made pesto for the first time last week.... there is truly no comparison... I will never buy shop bought again.. ever!!

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Nicola

8 November 2012, 4:06PM
Nicola

Mmmm, homemade pesto is amazing. But I rarely have enough basil for it as it always goes to seed when I try growing it! Although as you say, you can easily alter the ingredients...I used watercress (I think it was a Good Food recipe) this year which was quite good, and also rocket.

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Katherine

9 November 2012, 6:04PM
Katherine

No contest; the homemade stuff is fantastic, the shop stuff (jarred, at least) distinctly meh. And I fully agree on varying it depending on what you have.

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Tillyfloss

14 November 2012, 9:56PM
Tillyfloss

I love making fresh pesto, it's so easy to do and the smell is amazing. Because of this I have never bought pesto in a jar so can't compare but have a feeling that fresh would win by miles! I agree that can be quite costly but feel it is worth it in this instance. Keeps quite well and would recommend as a topping on pizza with some cooked, diced chicken.

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andycrofts

20 November 2012, 4:15PM
andycrofts

Link broken.

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Lucy

8 May, 1:25PM
Lucy

Most "fresh" shop bought pesto sauces use cashews instead of pinenuts and palm or vegetable oil instead of olive oil. Homemade always wins easily in my opinion.

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Janet in Leeds

8 May, 5:02PM
Janet in Leeds

You don't have to use basil. My favourite recipe combines rocket, walnuts, parmesan, garlic and olive oil, all whizzed up and there you go. It's worth experimenting with a variety of greens and nuts - cashews are good.

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Christine

8 May, 8:29PM
Christine

I've just made 'wild garlic' pesto. Yes the Parmesan and (in my case) walnuts are not cheap, but the taste .... WOW!! And SO fresh.

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Ruth

9 May, 1:46PM
Ruth

The 'eat weeds' website has some good recommendations; wild garlic, which is just coming into flower now, Jack-by-the-hedge (garlic mustard) and even nettles. Pine nuts are atrociously expensive. I tend to use broken walnut pieces.

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