Basil Pesto

Fresh basil in the garden.  So much rain this spring 

allowed for an early crop.

Wash all the picked basil in a large basin.

Drain washed basil on a dish towel.

Add garlic and olive oil to food processor.

Add half the basil to food processor.

Add remaining basil and olive oil.

before it is completely smooth check to see it is not too dry

if it is, add more olive oil.

Add pine nuts.

Add both pecorino romano and 

parmigianno reggiano.

Add pesto to ice cube tray for freezing.

or if you don't have an old ice cube tray, 

divide into small containers, in single portion servings.

Pop out frozen pesto from the tray and containers.

Put frozen cubes into a freezer Ziploc for future use.

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Source: Perfect Pasta by Valentina Harris

INGREDIENTS

4 oz. fresh basil leaves

1 Tbsp. pine nuts

2 cloves garlic

3 Tbsp. Parmegianno Reggiano cheese

3 Tbsp. Pecorino Romano cheese

5 Tbsp. olive oil

pinch of salt

   Since I had such an unusually large crop of spring basil, I doubled the recipe, shown in all the photos above.  

   I received this book as a gift when I was in college.  I have been making this recipe for so many years, I usually eyeball all the quantities as I put them in the food processor.  Having exact quantities, as I have given above, will help any beginners in the pesto making.

  Collect all your basil from the garden, by cutting whole stems from the plants.  I collect them straight into a large plastic basin.  Place the basin in your kitchen sink and fill with cool water, to thoroughly wash all the basil.

    Pick just the leaves off the stems and collect on a dish towel where they can drain off excess water. 

   Place peeled garlic cloves and half the olive oil into the bowl of a food processor.  Give it a few pulses to chop up the garlic.  Add half the basil, and pulse a few more times.  Add the remaining basil and remaining olive oil and pulse a few more times.  Before it has thoroughly come together as a paste, check that it is not too dry.  If it seems dry add a 1-2 Tbsp. of olive oil.  Give it another quick pulse. 

   Now add your pine nuts and pulse and then your cheeses and pulse, plus a pinch of salt.  The cheeses will already be adding salt to the paste, so don't add too much. 

   Once the pesto has made a nice homogeneous paste, scoop small spoonfuls into ice cube trays or small containers in single servings.  Place in the freezer until completely hardened. 

   Remove frozen pesto from containers and place in freezer Ziploc bags.  

Your pesto is now ready for use with any pasta dish, or minestrone soup. Be creative and add it to sauces or marinades.