Fermented basil pesto

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 10 bunch basil, fresh
• 5 tsp sea salt, fine
• ½ tsp yogurt culture (ferment powder)

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Rest period approx. 4 days; Total time approx. 4 days 1 hour

Vegan. The fermentation process preserves the basil and enhances its flavor.

Wash the basil, pluck the leaves from the stems, and discard the blossoms. Roughly chop the leaves and mix them with the sea salt in a large bowl. Let it rest for one hour. The mixture will now have significantly reduced in size. Finely chop the basil leaves in a food processor until a paste forms. Taste – it should taste salty, but not too salty; add more salt if necessary. Carefully mix in the yogurt ferment. Pour the mixture in portions into a 1-liter fermentation jar, pressing down occasionally to remove as many bubbles as possible. Place a lid on top and press down, add the weights, and loosely place the lid of the fermentation jar on top. Let it ferment for four days at room temperature, approximately 18–22°C, away from direct sunlight. Fill to the brim in small jars and store in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can also freeze the pesto; use plastic containers instead of glass jars. The pesto described here is an excellent base for pesto verde. To do this, add olive oil, garlic, Parmesan and toasted pine nuts as desired and puree.