posted by Miss McBooty on Make Ahead, Recipes, Sauces, Vegetarian

4 comments

Folks, you are in for a very special treat today.  You are witnessing a part of Foodie McBooty history — a huge milestone in the cooking life of Foodie McBooty:  I just bought my first basil plant!  Before this, I have never attempted growing an herb garden — in fear of my cat eating more of the plant than I actually would.

(*Jaws Theme Plays* AHHHHHH!!!!)

But I couldn’t resist the sweet smell of fresh basil and gave in.

So what’s a girl to do now that she has her own basil plant?  I ripped off as many leaves as possible and made fresh basil pesto!  I think I left enough plant for the little guy to survive.  I think…

(To be continued)

Here’s the recipe I used.  I’m going to try adding almonds in addition to the pine nuts and see how that the combination of nutty flavors taste in the future.

Adapted from the Food Network Kitchens

COOK TIME: 15 minutes
YIELDS: Two cups

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino romano cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Combine the basil and garlic in a food processor and pulse a few times.  Add the pine nuts and pulse a couple more times.  Add part of the olive oil and process for a few seconds.  Repeat this step until all of the olive oil is used, and your ingredients are smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.
2. If using immediately, transfer the pesto to a bowl and mix in the cheeses.  If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container and freeze for up to 3 months.  Thaw and stir in cheese.
3. Dip your crusty bread into it… add it to pasta… eat it by itself!

NOTE:

Pesto freezes really nicely. Pop any extra you may have into a freezer bag or small container for future use.

Also, experiment with using different nuts in your pesto. Each provide a slightly different flavor and you might find a new favorite. I’ve heard toasted macadamia nuts are pretty good. Haven’t tried it myself yet.

Tags: Basil, Cheese, Fresh, From Scratch, Garlic, Herbs, Homemade Pesto, Italian, Olive Oil, Parmesan, Pesto, Pine Nuts, Plant, Romano, Walnuts