Fresh Basil Pesto (Food Foundations)

This year we added four basil plants to our little garden. The beauty in basil is that with just a little love and care it will really produce! If you are new to basil, you should know that it is a plant that the more you pick it, the greater the bounty will be. On the flip side, if you don't pick it all, it will bolt (make flowers), die off and become small, bitter little leaves that are not good at all. So if you are growing it, you need to figure out how to use it!

Even if you pick up fresh basil from your store or farmers market, you usually get a lot. So what can you do with this backyard or market bounty to ensure that it does not go bad or wilt on the plant? I'm so glad you asked!

One of my favorite ways to add basil into my diet (besides in Tomato Mozzarella Bread) is to pick a bunch and whip up some pesto! Pesto is an amazing sauce no matter how you use it and is the perfect summer staple. It is simple to make, easily customizable and has an amazing flavor. We use pesto in pasta dishes, as a dip or spread for bread, over meats or mixed in other dishes to give it a unique and fresh flavor. In my book, food that is good, good for you, and fresh from the garden is a winner indeed! But keep reading and find out for yourself the tasty secret that is pesto.

Fresh Basil Pesto

Time Prep: 15 minutes | Total Time: 20 minutes | Makes: About 1 cup

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil, washed and gently packed
• 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (see Tips)
• 2-3 garlic cloves (more or less to taste)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a food processor, add basil, pine nuts, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 cup of the oil and salt.
2. Process the mix, stopping to scrape down sides and check seasoning and texture, adding any additional salt as needed. I use a mini food processor on a combination of chop and grind to get the consistancy I like
3. Pour additional 1/4 cup oil in and run until oil is fully combined.
4. Scrape down sides and add Parmesan and process until cheese is fully combined.
5. Taste and add any additional salt, pepper, oil, cheese or garlic, ensuring that you process the mixture again if you add any additional seasoning. Now enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Tips

• To toast the pine nuts, put the nuts in a skillet on low heat. I prefer cast iron but any skillet you have will do. Toast pine nuts util fragrant and just golden, then remove. Allow the nuts to fully cool before processing in pesto so plan to do this an hour or before you make pesto. Toasting the pine nuts gives an amazing depths of flavor so I would highly recommend not skipping this.
• Pesto does oxidize and will brown the longer it is exposed to air, making this a recipe I don't recommend making in too far in advance. If necessary, you can make it ahead of time, just be sure to cover the top of the pesto with plastic wrap and place the lid on. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Give it a good stir before using, though it may still be a little less green than if it were just made. Trust me, the pesto will still taste amazing!

There you have it, pronto pesto! A fancy sounding food that is simple to make. So go ahead and plan a pesto pasta night, pesto topped pizza Friday or a simple bread, cheese, tomato and pesto meal and enjoy!