July 18, 2008

Fresh Basil Pesto

get in close for a sniff of our basil plant!
Our pot of basil is growing wonderfully, so hubby decided to whip up some fresh pesto. Here is a nice recipe for creating this tasty Italian sauce.

FRESH BASIL PESTO

2 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground blackpepper, plus more to taste
~2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bake the pine nuts on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (Watch to make sure they don’t burn!) Cool.

In a blender or food processor, pulse the basil, pine nuts, garlic, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper until finely chopped. With the blender still running, slowly and gradually add enough oil to form a smooth and thick consistency.

Transfer the pesto to a medium bowl and stir in the cheese. Season the pesto with more salt and pepper to taste. Before adding the pesto to cooked pasta, add just a little pasta cooking liquid to help the pesto coat the pasta.

Notes: Fresh pesto will last 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, stored airtight. Store pine nuts in the freezer to prevent them from going rancid.

4 comments:

  1. What a Beautiful Picture!! I Love the GREEN!! Very vivid!! (sadly, I'm not crazy about basil...:0(
    Happy weekend sweetie!!hughugs

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hey, in my book, loving the picture counts for more than loving the recipe! LOL! Thanks, Donna!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for stopping by my blog and singing Happy Birthday to me even if off key with lots of clapping lol. I love basil and will have to try this pesto. Also yes we would love to live in East Tennessee. Would you like to trade and live in East Florida on a barrier Island across the street from the beach lol. We could trade lol.Why are you selling?
    Blessings,
    Kim

    ReplyDelete
  4. You're welcome! I had a little foot stomping going on also, just for good measure.

    The pesto sauce is great on toasted bakery bread too!

    Noooooo, I don't want to go to Florida! Too much heat, people, bugs, hurricanes, etc. We're probably going to stay here in this area, just move to a smaller place. See my post dated February 17th. We're retired and trying to downsize. God isn't cooperating with our plans very well, LOL.

    ReplyDelete

Marty, here! Donna loves comments, and I faithfully pass them on to her. Thank you so much for visiting!