I have always LOVED Basil! It was my favorite herb in the garden as a kid and still is. Every summer, my mom makes jars of her homemade pesto and would send me with a jar after being home visiting from college. Eventually we moved too far away for that and started our own garden. Basil was the first thing I told Ryan we were growing. Many other veggies are in our garden, but the basil is one of my pride and joys of our garden!
BASIL PESTO
makes 1 cup, enough to serve with 1lb of pasta
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup Pine Nuts, Almonds, or Walnuts.
1 clove Garlic, peeled
2 cups tightly packed Basil leaves
2/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino
1/3 cup Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Lemon Juice
Freshly cracked Pepper
Course Salt
INSTRUCTIONS:
Place nuts, garlic, basil, cheese, oil, and lemon juice inside a food processor or blender.
Pulse until the ingredients are well combined.
Salt and Pepper to taste.
NOTES:
Can be frozen in glass or plastic containers.
Can be made in a mortar and pestle. If so, grind the nuts (I would only use pine nuts in the mortar) until they are almost paste like. Add garlic and do the same. Crush the basil leaves while adding the course salt to help break down the leaves. Add cheese, oil, and lemon juice last mixing into the well crushed mixture. Season to taste with more salt and pepper.