Now that we've had our first light frost, it's time for me to use up the last of my herb garden. My basil did wonderfully late in the season, and most of it survived the frost. Yesterday, I spent the afternoon making pesto with it. I love to eat pesto over pasta, and there are several recipes that call for pesto as well. It can be frozen for up to six months, and freezing it in ice cube trays is a convenient way to store it. You can just grab a couple of pesto cubes at a time.
Traditionally, pesto is made with pinenuts. I've never had much luck finding pinenuts in this area, though. The few times our local grocery store has had them, they were in very small bags, stale and overpriced. I started making my pesto without pinenuts, and later I read that this is how the French make it, calling it "pistou." Pesto is very easy to make. No cooking!
Basil Pesto (without pinenuts)
makes approx. 1 1/4 cups
3 c. fresh basil leaves
3 cloves garlic
3/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Use immediately or freeze.
This sounds wonderful!
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