Basil Pesto
My garden’s been growing an abundance of herbs, and basil (one of my Top 3 favorite herbs!) is one of them. Basil is simultaneously sweet, earthy, and a bit minty. While basil is typically a garnish in many recipes, I want it to shine: let’s make pesto.
Pesto is a simple sauce made with fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. Pesto can be used in so many dishes: in pasta, spread over toast, dotted over fresh tomatoes, spread over pizza. I made a Garlic Scape Pesto earlier this year, so the recipe below is its more “traditional” self. If you liked the Garlic Scape version, be sure to try this one and compare! This pesto can be frozen in an airtight container (even in ice cube trays for easy portioning) for up to 2 weeks. I used mortar and pestle below for a chunkier texture, but feel free to use a food processor.
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients
- 2-3 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 2 cups basil, leaves +/- stems, washed
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Using a mortar and pestle, smash the garlic and pine nuts until a thick paste
- Use a spoon to dislodge the paste and add the chopped basil and olive oil. Gently mix with the spoon to prevent excessive basil bruising (it’s real!)
- Mix in the Parmesan cheese
- Season with salt and pepper. The Parmesan has a good amount of salt, so don’t go overboard!
- (You can also make this with a food processor, though I prefer the chunkiness and rusticness of the mortar/pestle)
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