This avocado pesto is really quick and easy to make. I ate it with spaghetti for lunch, and then by the spoonful after my plate was empty. Pesto is essentially greens + nuts + oil. Some people add cheese, but you don’t need it, because dairy production is cruel and nothing tastes as good as animal rights feel (see what I did there?). Once you grasp this (greens + nuts + oil = pesto), you will find it increasingly easy to make fresh pesto when the occasion calls for it. I added avocado to this because I didn’t have that much oil to hand and I did have some rapidly ripening avocados. The avocado made it very creamy and the flavors mingled like your favourite party guests – and it also brightened up a grey Berlin winter day.

Shout out to a dear friend of mine Carol, who literally spoon fed me my first taste of avocado back in 2003!

RECIPE:

Equipment you will need:

• blender / food processor.
• knife and cutting board.
• spoon to scoop out the avocado.
• garlic crusher (or a fork in a pinch).

Ingredients:

Note on ingredient amounts: I didn’t actually measure when making this, so these measurements are an estimation. Please keep an eye on the consistency and taste throughout.

• 2 x large ripe avocados, flesh scooped out. (if you avocados are not ripe yet, put them next to some bananas and be patient.)
• 3 x garlic cloves, crushed.
• lemon juice, at least one lemon or 4 tbsp.
• 100g rucola / rocket / argula
• 50g basil (optional, just add more rucola if you don’t have basil to hand)
• 100g ground almonds
• 50g walnuts
• 2 tbsp cold pressed olive oil
• sea salt to taste
• dash of walnut oil (optional)
• finely sliced red hot chili pepper (optional)

1. Place the avocado flesh in a blender, add all the other ingredients, except for the olive oil and pulse until every ingredient has become acquainted with each other but retains it’s own shape.
2. Taste with a teaspoon and decide if you need to add more of anything. If it is too fluid in consistency add more ground almonds.
3. Pour the olive oil in and pulse until the pesto is smooth enough.
4. Serve it with spaghetti, on bread, as part of a salad, or simply eat it with a spoon. Should be served and eaten immediately as avocado discolours quickly. Shouldn’t be a problem though.

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Note: If you don’t have a blender, but do have a pestle and mortar, then you should already know what do do! To the left is some walnut parsley pesto I made by hand. It was tasty, however it definitely involved some physical labour.