Some years ago I found this recipe on Joanna's blog thepassionatecook here
I have made this many times and tried my own variations and found there's bit bit of flexibilty with quantities. One time I had started getting the ingredients together to find that I had no avacados so I used peas instead.
This is my version
Ingredients
75 g cashew nuts
75 g string cheddar or parmesan grated
2 small cloves garlic
30-40 g fresh basil
¼ tsp dried crushed chilli
2 avocados peeled and mashed
30 ml good quality extra virgin olive oil (or hemp seed or flax seed oil)
30 ml water and juice of a lemon or a lime
To prepare
Assemble all the ingredients first.
Toast the cashews in the oven then add to the food processor and blitz together with the garlic and chilli. The heat od the nuts partially cooks the garlic.
Add all the other ingredients and blitz again pausing to check that it's mixing OK
If you are serving it with pasta you could sprinkle the cheese over instead of mixing it in with the pesto. I prefer to mix it in with the pesto.
Serve with hot pasta or noodles or spread on toasted sour dough.
Soooooo good!
