Pesto Pine Nut and Parmesan Muffins, and my Basil Pesto Recipes

 

Here's a simple little muffin recipe for you, for when you need a savoury addition at your morning or afternoon tea or even for breakfast. Bake them large or small, and you will be delighted with the result. Pesto, Pine nuts and Parmesan are perfect ingredients in so many savoury goods.

Homemade is best if possible, and my preference is to use fresh homemade basil pesto in these home baked muffins. However, there are now some very good commercial brands of pesto available for sale so please if you are desperate to make these muffins, buy your pesto if that makes life easy. Do what suits you. 

You might remember from my last In My Tropical Kitchen post that I have lots of sweet basil growing in the garden. Some of that basil crop has become a delicious jar of pesto and I am also sharing that recipe with you. I am also sharing a second pesto recipe which I often use and which makes a larger quantity and was absolutely delicious when I made some Ligurian Pasta with Pesto, New Potatoes and Beans. 

If you have some pesto left over after making these mighty muffins, store it in the refrigerator or the freezer in a glass jar, for another day, with a small layer of Extra Virgin Olive Oil poured over the surface, to prevent it from spoiling. It will keep for 3 months in the freezer, and a few days in the frig.

Pesto, Pine Nut and Parmesan Muffins

This recipe serves 12.

Ingredients:

• Oil or butter for greasing the muffin tin or use nice paper muffin cases in a muffin tin
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese (no shortcuts here)
• 1/2 cup (80 g pkt) pine nuts
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 6 tablespoons sunflower oil or melted butter cooled (can use canola or pine nut oil)
• 2-3 tablespoons pesto

Topping:

• 4 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line it with muffin paper liners. To make the topping mix together parmesan and pine nuts and set aside.
2. To make muffins: Sift together flour, baking powder, salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Stir in the grated parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
3. Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl, then beat in the buttermilk and oil. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the beaten liquid ingredients. Add the pesto and stir gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. Scatter the topping over the muffins. Bake in a preheated oven for about 20 minutes until well risen, golden brown and firm to touch.
5. Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes then serve warm.

1 cup of beautiful basil pesto

Basil Pesto recipe no. 1 (preferred for these muffins, but recipe no. 2 will also be delicious (this pesto based on a Recipe Tin Eats recipe)

PESTO!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons pine nuts

2 cups / 60g / 2 oz fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup (50 g) parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp cooking salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 small garlic clove

7 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Toast the pine nuts in a small skillet over a medium heat, until light brown. 

Pour all the ingredients except for the olive oil into the bowl of your food processor. BLITZ until all finely chopped.

While the motor is still running pour the olive oil in a steady stream into the food processor bowl and mix until the perfect consistency is reached. I didn't need any extra Olive oil but add a little if you need it.

You can also use a quite powerful handheld blender stick if you would prefer instead of a food processor.

This quantity also makes enough pesto for 300g of dried pasta, after it is cooked.

Pesto recipe no. 2

Basil and Parsley Pesto ingredients:

50g pine nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted (I used pine nuts this time)

A large bunch of basil (about 30g), leaves only

1 large bunch of parsley (about 30 g), leaves only

A few mint leaves (optional)

1 garlic clove, chopped

50g Parmesan, hard goats cheese, or other well flavoured hard cheese, finely grated

 (I use parmesan)

 Finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon

100-150ml extra virgin olive oil

A good squeeze of lemon juice

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pesto Method:

Put the toasted pine nuts into the food processor along with the herbs, garlic, grated cheese and lemon zest. Blitz to a paste, then with the motor running, slowly pour in the olive oil until you have a thick, sloppy puree. Scrape the pesto into a bowl and season with salt, pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice. This will keep in the refrigerator for a few days covered with a layer of olive oil. 

Cook's Notes:

I also used this Basil and Parsley pesto when I made my Ligurian Pasta with Pesto, New Potatoes and Beans which was delicious. The parsley can be substituted with extra basil.

To Serve: Extra virgin olive oil, to trickle over the top (optional)

Happy cooking

Best wishes,

Pauline