For when your basil plant has its summer growth spurt!
Pesto is a classic way of putting a big harvest of fresh basil to use, and freezes great if you’re looking for a flavor boost in your cooking well after the harvest season. That is, if you can keep from eating it all right after making it! A versatile sauce, it can be used on pizzas, pastas, meat and fish, tossed into salads, atop some toast, and more.
For an easy, fresh summer meal, make some pasta, add sliced cherry tomatoes and grilled shrimp (or your veggies and proteins of choice), and toss in pesto sauce to taste. If you want to go really fresh, make your own pasta noodles with the easy recipe provided here.
As with many of my other recipes, this is flexible. No need to be super precise with amounts, and feel free to adjust to taste, or get creative with substitutions. See notes below for some ideas!
Basil Pesto:
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese (or a 50/50 blend)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
A squeeze of lemon juice, to taste (optional)
You need: a food processor, measuring cups, grater if using a block of cheese
Directions:
1. Rinse basil and pat dry. If you haven’t already, remove the leaves from stems for use, and discard stems. 2. Place garlic cloves, pine nuts, and basil leaves in a food processor and pulse for a few seconds until minced. 3. Add in grated cheese, and continue to process until well combined and finely minced.
4. Add salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste, if desired.
5. Add in olive oil and continue to process just until fully combined.
6. Enjoy, or refrigerate or freeze in a tightly sealed container if not using immediately.
Notes:
You can substitute other nuts such as walnuts, pistachios, or almonds for the pine nuts, and try other greens in combination with or in place of basil, like cilantro, spinach, or kale. You can also try adjusting the amount of olive oil for a thicker or runnier sauce.
If using a small food processor that can't fit all two cups of basil at one time, just pulse about half of it first, and then add the rest.
If freezing for later use, try freezing in cubes if you want to be able to defrost for use in small quantities at a time.
Some photos that will have you craving pesto if you aren't already:
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