Basic Basil Pesto – Yum!

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Pesto is a favorite of mine, not to mention, easy breezy. And it’s green, so it has to be sorta, kinda healthy, right? Please don’t let me know if it’s really bad for you, I’d just rather not know.

When paired with bruschetta (garlic toast for you fellow rednecks) or pasta, pesto is favoloso! (That would be fabulous in Italian. No, I don’t speak Italian, I cheated and looked it up.) And when fresh basil is available, pesto is the way to go.

(This is one of those herbs that’s worth the effort to grow your own. A small pack of basil around here runs $2-4.00 for just a little bit, while you can get a pack of seeds for a dollar or two. It’s super easy to grow. I wouldn’t tell you a fib either – try it.)

Here’s what you’ll need…

basil, of course,

garlic cloves,

pine nuts,

extra virgin olive oil,

parmesan cheese,

and salt and pepper to taste. (I have substituted walnuts for the pine nuts before and have made the pesto with out any nuts at all – that’s good too.)

I begin by chopping the garlic and pine nuts first in a food processor. Pulse a few times. (I don’t think the order of chopping matters I just like to make sure the garlic and pine nuts are finely chopped by the end, so I start with them.)

Add the basil and pulse a few more times.

Next, slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is running. (That itty bitty hole in the circular thingy in the lid of the processor is great for this, except it could be a little bigger.)

Scrape down the sides of the processor and add the grated cheese, pulse again to blend.

Salt and pepper to taste.There, that was easy, huh?

Again this is a basic pesto recipe. If you don’t have exact amounts of each ingredient it should still work well just make sure it’s not too oily. After you make it a few times, it’ll be something that you just “eyeball” for correct proportions. I promise. It’s that easy.

Enjoy!

*And try this in yummy Creamy Pesto Pasta.*

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