Hello #LoyalRoyals
Can you believe that this month marks the 21st birthday of Pesto Princess? We’re singing ‘Happy Birthday’ right now to the little jar that’s come so far – Pesto Princess Basil Pesto.
You’ll find our spring-green pesto sporting a golden birthday ‘crown’, in celebration of 21 extraordinary years. This new gold lid is a limited edition just for the birthday, so you’ll need to snap up your jar quick sticks 🙂
And what better way to let our signature basil pesto shine than in a simple pasta dish?
Top tip from the palace: Just as the Italians do (and they know best), spoon the required amount of pesto into a small bowl. Add a little boiling water from the pasta pot – a tablespoon or two – and a splash of olive oil before giving everything a good stir. Watch as the colours come to life and the pecorino starts to melt, releasing that familiar fragrance that fills the palace all year round of freshly picked basil. Loosening our pesto this way balances the flavours and reduces the richness of the sauce, plus it makes your little jar go SO much further. Pesto Princess pesto stands apart by being handmade in the true Italian style: as a concentrate, bursting with goodness, ready for you to dilute to suit your next dish.
Some of you reading this right now bought your first pesto sauces directly from me as early as 1998, possibly at a market or food fair. The fact that we’re still here, 21 years later, is all thanks to YOU 😉
With the deepest curtsy of gratitude
HRH Kathleen
You’ll need
250 g linguine or pasta of your choice
1 small bunch asparagus
1 cup fresh or frozen green peas
½ jar Pesto Princess Basil Pesto (you can also use our vegan Pesto Princess Basil & Lemon Pesto).
½ cup artichoke hearts (optional)
Olive oil to drizzle
How to
1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. When you’ve just got five minutes to go until the pasta is done, add the peas.
2. While the pasta is cooking, heat up a griddle pan, toss the asparagus in some olive oil and sear the spears until bright green and tender.
3. Once the pasta is al dente, drain into a colander and rinse very quickly under cold water. Prepare your pesto as per our top tip above (with a little pasta water and olive oil).
4. Transfer the pasta and veggies back into the pot, add a good glug of olive oil and stir in the Pesto Princess Basil Pesto and artichokes. Add a generous crack of black pepper and serve.
Serves 4.
Photography, Recipes and Styling by Michelle Parkin.
Congratulations on your 21st!
Love the receipe you’ve added and I’m off to get my gold lid pesto.