I've tried a lot of pesto recipes that over-complicate things. Let's keep it fresh, keep it simple. And this will serve you so well on crusty french bread, hot pastas, cold salads, sandwiches .. oh honey, the possibilities are endless.
Ingredients
6 cups of fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (you can buy them pre-toasted, or toast them yourself)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
3/4 cup grated parmesan or cojita cheese
1 teaspoon salt
Preparation & Cooking
- If you need to toast the pine nuts: pour them onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 6 minutes, until golden brown. Stir them halfway through. Let them cool.
- Rinse the basil and dry with paper towel. Pick the leaves off the stems and pack them into a measuring cup -- you need 6 cups! (It's a few large, full bunches of basil.)
- Put the nuts, cheese and garlic in a food processor and pulse for a minute, until finely ground.
- Add the basil. And with the food processor running, add your oil in a stream. You may have to pause several times to add more basil, depending on the size of your food processor. Blend for about a minute total, until smooth.
- Season with salt in the last few seconds of blending.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate - this recipe makes about 2 cups. Use within a week -- or freeze it for future use. Freezing it into ice cube trays and then emptying the cubes into a freezer bag is a terrific idea. You can plop a couple cubes into hot pasta later.
A Little Backstory
I always plant too much basil. I buy a sprig to grow on the balcony, then it doesn't feel like it's growing well, so I get more ... then I repeat that several times until my balcony container garden is awash with the herb. Basil is my favorite. It's awesome in a grilled cheese sandwich with honey. Spectacular with fruit. Perfection with tomatoes. But nothing uses up an abundance of basil like pesto -- the versatile sauce and spread. Just make sure you brush your teeth after eating. :)
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