Pesto di Rucola

I adore pesto and am constantly finding new ways to use it around my kitchen and on my plate! A twist on the standard basil favourite, peppery rocket or arugula leaves that are sharper, with a slight bitter finish packs a real flavour punch. A tweaked version of Gino D'Acampo's rocket pesto recipe from Saturday Kitchen, Food Network, I swapped olives for capers since I didn't have any on hand, and added pine nuts that were missing. A true pesto in my eyes must have a nutty flavour and texture to deserve to call itself a pesto. Walnuts can be used in place of the pine nuts for a further variation - they too have a creamy taste and will add lovely texture. Toasting nuts releases the full depth of the rich nutty flavour, so remember to toast your nuts before adding them to your food processor to optimise their taste.

Ingredients: 200g fresh rocket leaves; 1 clove garlic; 10 tbsp Italian extra virgin olive oil; 1 tbsp Spanish Manzilla Olives or Italian Cerignola's work well; 2 tbsp white wine vinegar; 100g freshly shaved Parmesan; Salt; Freshly ground black pepper;

Method: Simply chuck all the ingredients into a food processor and give it a quick whizz. You can either make it smooth or slightly chunky depending on your preference and whether you are serving it as a dip, spread, stuffing or marinade.