Man is it HOT outside!!! Actually it’s not the heat as much
as it is the humidity. But whatever it is it has made gardening a challenge.
The tomato harvest has slowed down and there are just a few items
in our garden that seem to thrive in this weather – Basil is one of them. Our
plants are growing like crazy and we started running out of ways to use it. Finally
Sharon said the magic word – Pesto. So we fired up the food processor and
started making some homemade pesto – yum.
Of course there are lots of
different recipes but here’s the one we used.
Basil Pesto
Ingredients
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese (see Cook's Note)
Directions
Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.
Ingredients
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese (see Cook's Note)
Directions
Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.
If freezing, transfer to an air-tight container and drizzle remaining oil over the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw and stir in cheese.
Recipe courtesy Food Network Kitchens
Copyright 2003 Television Food Network, G.P. All rights reserved
Pesto can be kind of pricey in the store and this has been a
great way to use our bumper crop of basil.
