Basic Fresh Pesto

 

I love Fresh Pesto,  This is a tried and true recipe for sure.  ~Shelly

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves (no stems)
2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
2 large cloves garlic
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 Tsp salt
1/4 Tsp coarse pepper
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 

Preparation

1. Chop up the basil, nuts and garlic really well first
2. Combine basil leaves, pine nuts or walnuts and garlic in a food processor and process until very finely minced.
   
   
3. With the machine running slowly dribble in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth.  
   Pesto is supposed to be a bit chunky, not super-smooth
   
   
4. Add the cheese and process very briefly, just long enough to combine. Store in refrigerator or freezer.
   
   
   

NOTES
Instead of 2 cups fresh basil, reduce basil to 1 1/2  cups and add 1/2 c fresh parsley leaves.

Pine nuts are traditional in pesto but they’re pricey. You can absolutely use walnuts or pecans instead. Whichever nut you choose, make sure you toast them first. Get out a small pan, add your nuts, put it over medium-low heat and cook, stirring often, until you can smell them.

Pesto freezes beautifully. You can go the ice cube tray route, if you have enough ice cube trays. Just fill the trays with pesto and freeze. Once frozen, pop the cubes out and seal them in a freezer bag. What I usually do instead of ice cube trays is to transfer the unfrozen pesto into a freezer bag. Lay it flat in the freezer and go and squeeze it around every hour or so. When it is nearly fully frozen, I break it into pieces inside the bag. Then those pieces are the future pesto portions. (If you forget to go in and break up the pesto before it freezes solid, don’t worry. Take it out and defrost it a bit. Then break it up and put it back into the freezer).

Creative Ways to Use Pesto

1. Creative Ways to Use Pesto. Stir a Scoop Into Soup. 
2. Spread on Bread. Sure, you can add a few leaves of basil to your sandwich, but pesto adds additional flavors that really take a sandwich to the next level. 
3. Use as a Veggie Dip.
4. Stir Into Mashed Potatoes. 
5. Stuff Chicken Breast. 
6. Enjoy with Eggs. 
7. Toss with Pasta.
   
   
   

This recipe comes from The NY times.