On Fridays I plan to talk about food finds. This is a broad category that can cover whatever catches my whimsy. I may talk about favorite foods, include a new recipe, a new cookbook, a new food I tried, someone else’s blog post about a food or cooking technique, whatever catches my eye. I hope you like it and find it useful.
Today I want to talk about one of my favorite herbs. Basil. I can’t say enough about fresh basil. And this summer my pot of basil outdid itself, I have enough to make tons of pesto to freeze for the winter. Which is good because the Japanese Beetles helped themselves to my basil this year gorging themselves. The little buggers!
Pesto, my most favorite thing to make out of basil is quick and easy to make and freezes well. I make big batches every summer and freeze them in the little snack sized ziplock baggies in about 1/3 cup portions. This is enough for a sauce for 2 servings of pasta or veggies.
Pesto is great as a sauce over pasta, veggies, boiled potatoes, and as a dollop in most soups. I even add it to my favorite jarred pasta sauce to freshen it up a bit. It is also great on crostini: oven toast slices of a good italian bread, rub with a clove of raw garlic while still hot, add a drizzle of olive oil, add a slice of tomato and top with a dollop of pesto.
Here is my favorite recipe, inspired by Ilva over at Lucullian Delights.
My recipe is very loose and depends on my mood. I do it by handfuls, don’t be afraid of this method, you just can’t screw up making pesto.
Today I want to talk about one of my favorite herbs. Basil. I can’t say enough about fresh basil. And this summer my pot of basil outdid itself, I have enough to make tons of pesto to freeze for the winter. Which is good because the Japanese Beetles helped themselves to my basil this year gorging themselves. The little buggers!
Pesto, my most favorite thing to make out of basil is quick and easy to make and freezes well. I make big batches every summer and freeze them in the little snack sized ziplock baggies in about 1/3 cup portions. This is enough for a sauce for 2 servings of pasta or veggies.
Pesto is great as a sauce over pasta, veggies, boiled potatoes, and as a dollop in most soups. I even add it to my favorite jarred pasta sauce to freshen it up a bit. It is also great on crostini: oven toast slices of a good italian bread, rub with a clove of raw garlic while still hot, add a drizzle of olive oil, add a slice of tomato and top with a dollop of pesto.
Here is my favorite recipe, inspired by Ilva over at Lucullian Delights.
My recipe is very loose and depends on my mood. I do it by handfuls, don’t be afraid of this method, you just can’t screw up making pesto.
BASIL PESTO
In a food processor add:
A few generous handfuls of basil leaves
A couple cloves of garlic (depending on how strong the garlic is and how much you love garlic, you can use more or less)
A smallish handful of toasted pine nuts. (you can also use walnuts)
A generous handful of grated (or not, smallish chunks work too) parmesan cheese (you can also use pecorino or asagio)
Start the food processor and through the feeding tube add:
Olive Oil In a slow stream until it loosens up to your liking.
Add some Salt and pulse a few times to mix.Done!!
Sometimes I like to add a fresh ripe tomato before I add the oil. You will use less oil and I love the flavor. Besides basil and tomatoes are a match made in heaven!
I have also been known to throw in a few pieces of roasted red pepper too.
Make sure you toast the pine nuts (in the oven or in a dry fry pan), it increases the flavor. Play with the ingredient ratios until you find the taste you love. Use good, no great olive oil for this recipe.
Yummm Pesto. Now I am off to harvest my crop and make some pesto. Maybe I can get one more growth in before winter. A girl can’t have enough pesto on hand.
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