Basic Basil Pesto

August 1, 2008

Basil pesto is a great pasta sauce and versatile enough to go on an array of various foods. The only trouble is finding enough fresh basil to make it. Luckily for me, out basil plants have been going crazy this summer, so I made a batch last night. Instead of specific amounts for this recipe, I am going for easy approximations. It is also pretty easy to alter on the fly if you have too little of any one thing.

You’ll need a couple handfuls of fresh basil leaves, one or two cloves of garlic, a small handful of toasted pine nuts, about 1/2 cup of extra-virgin olive oil (sorry, I couldn’t do this in handfuls), salt to taste, and one handful of grated Parmesan or some other hard Italian cheese like Pecorino or Grana Padano.

Now here is the tricky part - toss everything (except for half of your olive oil) into a food processor, and turn it on. Then drizzle in the remaining olive oil or as much as you want until you get your preferred consistency.

When your pesto is ready, pour it over some pasta, on some fresh pizza dough, or on anything else you think it might go well with it.

Preferences and Tips

• You can really adjust any of the ingredients until you get a flavor you prefer.
• I ate some pesto in Greece (made by an American, it wasn’t a Greek pesto or anything) that was thick and chunky, and it was really good. I am going to try doing everything by knife (or pounding the pine nuts) next time to see if I can get a thick consistency like that.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• Fresh basil, two handfuls, washed and dried
• Garlic, one or two cloves (preferably crushed before going in the food processor)
• Toasted pine nuts, small handful (toast them in a small skillet if necessary)
• Extra-virgin olive oil, about 1/2 cup, but add until desired consistency
• Parmesan cheese, handful grated
• Salt to taste

Recipe:

1. Add all of the ingredients to a food processor (except for half of your olive oil) and turn it on. Pour in the remaining oil until it reaches the desired consistency. Adjust salt to taste.

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