basil pesto
How do you make yours? Do you use pine nuts, toasted or not, walnuts, all basil, etc.? Do you make enough to freeze for the winter? Basil is really getting nice here.
Forum Discussion
4 Replies
- Add some fresh spinach -- it cuts down on the sharpness of the basil.
- While I dearly love the pine nuts, walnuts are my favorite in basil pesto. I know it's not traditional, but if you coarsely chop the walnuts and mix them it, you will understand my obsession.
- PESTO
4 Cups clean basil leaves 8 Cloves garlic
3/4 Cup olive oil 1/4 Cup Parmesan
1/4 Cup pine nuts salt and pepper
Put all of above in food processor and process until of desired consistency, adding more olive oil if necessary. Serve over pasta, sprinkle with extra, fresh grated parmesan and enjoy! Sometimes I like to heat the pesto before pouring over bowtie pasta.
I do not toast the pine nuts. Usually I make about 3 or 4 batches of pesto then pour into small canning jars, then freeze. If I have more basil, I make several more batches because we love it on pasta, in Minestrone Soup and sometimes, a spoonful over vegetables. The above recipe is a good, basic way to get started; later, you can experiment with various nuts, etc. I always go back to this recipe though as it seems to fill our needs! - I make mine with basil, olive oil, pine nuts and a bit of parmesean cheese. I freeze mine and put a layer of olive oil on top to keep it from browning. It's yummy for several months that way. It might keep longer, but I usually use it up before the end of December, no matter how much I make.
