Pesto
Pesto is a versatile and very useful herbal blend for savory foods. It's really Just a flavorful green herb or vegetable that is finely pureed with complementary oils, cheeses, aromatics and nuts. The most commonly used pesto is made with basil, olive oil, fresh garlic, parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
If you have a food processor or even a blender like a Ninja, you will be amazed at how easy pesto is to make. It’s expensive to buy at the grocery store which makes this kind of a high-end contribution to your meals – and you only have to keep your basil growing to benefit from this. Here is a basic recipe for classic pesto but feel free to mix up the nuts, the greens, the oil, etc. to suit your flavoring needs or even just to use what you have on hand. You can scale it up for as much basil as you harvest:
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh Basil Leaves (densely packed)
- 2 tbsp Pine Nuts
- 1 Garlic Clove (peeled and chopped)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan or Asiago Cheese (shredded)
- 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1/4 tsp Salt (to taste)
- 1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
Instructions
- 1
Dump everything but the EVOO into your food processor. Add 2 tablespoons of EVOO and process until it forms a smooth paste.
Loosen the paste with as much more EVOO as you want.
Store in a glass container if possible, but a small plastic container will do. Cover the surface of the pesto with a thin layer of EVOO to keep it from browning. This pesto should last a week in your refrigerator, or you can freeze it.
Note
This basic Pesto recipe is just the beginning for you to make an herbal sauce/condiment for many flavor variations. Get creative! Just for starters, you can use:
Greens: Kale, Spinach, Arugula, Cilantro, (think of any greens that have a stronger or distinctive flavor to headline the Pesto
Nuts: Walnuts, Almonds, Pecans, Pistachios, Macadamias, Sunflower
Cheeses: can be optional, but think of smoky Gouda, tangy Feta, nutty Swiss
Oils: Sesame, Walnut, Sunflower (Use the highest quality of whatever oil you choose. It makes a difference for this sauce that is often served cool.)