This has been a fantastic year for Basil. It must have been a combination of heat and rain. Making Pesto is a yearly tradition, when I lived at the farm we would make a freezer full, now it is a bit more tame and manageable! This year making Pesto was a family affair. It was grown at my sisters house in Charlotte and Mother and I spent a quick hour cutting, cleaning, making and freezing about 5 cups worth of Pesto.
I will tell you that five cups is enough for lots of Minestrone, Grilled Fish and Pasta throughout the winter months. When I make Pasta for Pesto, I like to use Fussilli, it seems to hold the delicate flavors best. The big trick is to freeze the Pesto in small baggies pressed flat, which creates the perfect serving size for any dish serving 4 people.It also stacks well in freezer and is quick and easy to defrost. A little Pesto goes along way!
So here is my easy recipe.
* 4 cups fresh basil leaves (fill a measuring cup to full and press them down with your hand;add more and repeat until packed.)
* 1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese (grated)
* 1/2 cup pine nuts
* 6-8 garlic cloves, finely minced (or 1 tablespoon of prepared minced garlic)
* 1 tablespoon of lemon juice ( this prevents the pesto from turning brown when it is exposed to the air.)
* 1/2 cup Olive oil. It should be the "extra virgin" variety.
The Process:
Use a Food Chopper or Food Processor.
Toss the Garlic in, chop.
Toss the Pine Nuts in, chop.
Add The Basil, chop.
Throw in the Cheese, chop.
Now slowly add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil
until it is a smooth paste.
Makes about 2 cups of Pesto!
All done! Time to bag up and pop into the freezer.
You are now ready to enjoy the taste of summer all winter long.
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