Green basil pesto

General

Never buy the store-bought variety, either in a jar or “freshly made”: it cannot hold a candle to this!
Best to buy all ingredients from Aldi or Lidl; if you buy them elsewhere you may pay double or even triple.
In the fridge, covered. Best to keep in a jar with a little olive oil add, this will prevent the pesto from developing a mould if you keep it for over week.
It will become solid in the fridge, but if you put a spoonful in pasta or risotto, it will melt immediately.
variation: you can try this also with ruccola

2 medium pots of sweet basil plants or fresh basil leaves (several packets)
2-4 garlic gloves (peeled)
Olive oil (you can use green / extra vierge since you are not heating it, but cheap yellow is also fine)
125-175 gram nuts (you are supposed to use pine nuts but these are ridiculously expensive. Use cashew nuts instead, salted or unsalted, it does not matter).
100 -150 gram cheese (you are supposed to use freshly grated parmesan/pecorino cheese, but it’s perfectly ok to use feta instead. Or a mature cheddar. Never use dried cheese, parmesan or otherwise, it will taste foul)
Salt + pepper to taste. Remember you cannot take salt out. Never put salt in before the cheese.
Dash of fresh lemon juice (optional)

Cut the basil leaves (including the stems) from the plant (using scissors). Take care not to scoop up any soil (like your mother ). Rinse and shake off excess water. Cut them up a few times with the scissors. Leave to drain on kitchen paper or in a colander.
If you are using hard cheese, cut into small pieces first, no greater than ¼ ice cube. Otherwise you are going to ruin your either your chopping blades or wear out the rotary mechanism on your food processor. If using soft cheese, simply break it up by hand or use a knife, whatever you like.
Put the garlic and basil in the chopper and chop. Add half the cheese; chop; add the other half. Add a dash of olive oil, salt and pepper. Add half of the nuts; chop, add the other half. If the going gets tough(er), add some more olive oil (never water!) Do not force the machine or it will be become overworked.
Taste, add salt and pepper to taste; add a dash of lemon juice (improves the taste of almost anything); chop/mix until well blended. Add some more olive oil if necessary for blending. Don’t worry too much about the consistency: the pesto will become nearly solid when chilled.