The Scent of Summer -Basil Pesto
9/15/2011
Last night I found myself actually up to my elbows in basil. I had harvested the remaining plants, or perhaps I should say bushes of basil from my mother's garden in a large garbage bag and set off to make pesto. The house smelled like an Italian herb garden. Upon entry to the house each of my children would exclaim, "Wow, I smell basil! What are you making, Mom?" My reply, "Come in the kitchen and I'll show you-and you can help." I had already rinsed and hung the plants to dry so I needed them to pick off the leaves. When dealing with this many herbs I find this process to be easier than picking leaves, washing and then spinning to dry. You will have to choose your option of preparation.
While the kids picked the leaves from their stems, I grated a large wedge of parmigiano-reggiano cheese, peeled garlic and toasted pine nuts. I like to use a Cuisinart food processor to blend all of the ingredients together, but it can be done by hand on a cutting board and using a large mortle and pestle as well. I poured the bright green, fragrant sauce into half pint freezer containers and covered the tops with more olive oil for protection. It's the perfect amount to add to pasta for 1 meal for our family. When all was said and done I had over 25 half pints of basil pesto lined up in our garage freezer, ready to be retrieved for a quick dinner or yummy addition to a lunch sandwich.
The uses for basil pesto are limitless. You can add a couple tablespoons to perk up a soup. Mix it with mayo and smear it on a sandwich for a "gourmet" touch. We love it mixed with roasted or boiled baby potatoes. Drizzle a little over frozen pizza- it makes a huge difference. If you have another creative use for pesto, please share a comment!
Basil Pesto
Ingredients
2 C fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Put basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor. Pulse the ingredients minus the oil until well chopped. Then drizzle in the olive oil until the ingredients are mixed well. Add to a jar and top up with a light coating of extra-virgin olive oil.
Tip: Pesto can be served fresh or be preserved in the refrigerator or freezer in an air-tight container.
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions
Put basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor. Pulse the ingredients minus the oil until well chopped. Then drizzle in the olive oil until the ingredients are mixed well. Add to a jar and top up with a light coating of extra-virgin olive oil.
Tip: Pesto can be served fresh or be preserved in the refrigerator or freezer in an air-tight container.
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