Officially Out-Pestoed

I'm so pleased when someone actually tries one of my recipes, and then slightly put-out when they do it soo much better than me.

After the wild garlic pesto post, I received this photo from my friend and wild garlic fan, Emily. Emily makes the best lime and mascarpone ice cream this side of the caribbean, so I should have known her attempts at pesto would make mine look utilitarian. This is the sort of pesto jar you would sell/give/receive with pride, and a warm glow of joy.

I made a double batch of said utilitarian pesto last night (5 whole smallish jars, 300g cashews) and have a few extra tips on dealing with larger quantities. 

Fill the sink with cold water and swish the leaves around in that to wash them, before transferring in small amounts to a colander, checking for stray flower buds and beasties along the way. Lay the washed leaves out on a clean tea towel, and roll it up to dry them a bit before processing. Don't overfill the processor as the bottom leaves turn to mush and the top ones don't move. The introduction of the cashews helps to break the leaves down, but the oil really gets things going. I take the drizzle nozzle off the oil and glug it in. There's not enough time for drizzling before it's over mushed, and we're not making mayonnaise.