I remember the first time I tasted basil pesto. I was a young trainee chef in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh and we went on an outing to Roscoff Restaurant in Belfast.

I had never heard of it before, but I still remember being blown away by it when it was paired with fresh pasta and guinea fowl. A nice tip is to put a little pesto in your bread mix for an interesting new flavour.

Today, I have two pesto recipes that I use regularly. We also make them in the cookery school. They will make a great addition to anyone’s repertoire, as they are so versatile and will enhance lots of meals throughout the year, from grilled meats to salads. Each will keep in the fridge.

For the basil pesto, I just top up with a little olive oil to keep it fresh. It also freezes well.

The sun-dried tomato pesto also keeps well, so you can make it three or four days in advance and keep it covered with cling film in the fridge. You could add some paprika or chilli to spice it up.

Get the best sun-dried tomatoes. Simply Better has excellent Italian ones that have been in the sun for three weeks and then stored in olive oil, which you can use in the dressing.

We make this chilli jam all year round in the restaurant and serve it as a dip for bread and for goat’s cheese. People love it. Make sure to get good ripe tomatoes, or you could use canned tomatoes.

It makes an ideal substitute for shop-bought sweet chilli sauce and can be put into a bottle or container. Season to taste.

Ingredients: Makes about 400ml

175g sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

8 large fresh basil leaves

2 garlic cloves, peeled

200ml olive or rapeseed oil

1 tbsp tomato purée

¼ tsp smoked paprika

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Place the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, garlic, oil, tomato purée and smoked paprika in a food processor or blender and pulse to finely chop.

2 Blend until the pesto has emulsified, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer to a container and season to taste.

Ingredients: Makes about 250ml

1 large bunch of fresh basil leaves (at least 50g)

2 garlic cloves, peeled

25g toasted pine nuts

175ml olive or rapeseed oil

50g freshly grated Parmesan

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Place the basil in a food processor with the garlic, pine nuts, Parmesan and oil. Blend to a light paste.

2 Transfer to a bowl and season to taste. Cover with clingfilm and chill until needed.

Ingredients: Makes about 450ml

2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil

2 onions, roughly diced

2 red peppers, cored, deseeded and roughly diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 tbsp tomato purée

50g light brown sugar

4 ripe tomatoes, diced

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Heat the olive or rapeseed oil in a heavy-based pan on a medium heat. Add the onions, red peppers and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, until just beginning to soften. Stir in the chilli and tomato purée and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the sugar, tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and soy sauce and pour in 300ml of water to just cover. Simmer for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until well reduced and thickened.

2 Remove the chilli jam from the heat and leave to cool completely, then tip into a food processor or liquidiser and blend to a purée. Pass through a fine mesh sieve set over a bowl and season to taste.

3 Transfer to a rigid plastic container and store in the fridge for up to three weeks.