Sweet basil pesto
Make friends with someone who grows basil or buy several bunches at your local farmers' market.
Play a little music while you pick the leaves off the stems, toast some pine nuts, grate some parmesan cheese, smash and remove the skins from garlic cloves, and plug in the food processor. You can also do this with a mortar and pestle if you are feeling real earthy.
The resulting pesto is concentrated goodness. You may not need but a tablespoon or so per serving of whole-grain pasta or for other dishes.
I made 4 times the recipe as I planned to freeze it. First I put some in a small freezer bag then decided to do what I do with Meyer lemon juice — make 2 tablespoon cubes in an ice cube tray.
I think you will really like this.
Servings: 3/4 cup
Ingredients
- 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves — you could also use parsley or arugula
- 2 small or one big garlic clove, smashed with the side of a knife and the skin removed
- 1/4 pine nuts, toasted lightly in a skillet — walnuts are good also
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt to taste
Ingredients
- 1 cup loosely packed basil leaves --- you could also use parsley or arugula
- 2 small or one big garlic clove, smashed with the side of a knife and the skin removed
- 1/4 pine nuts, toasted lightly in a skillet--walnuts are good also
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- Salt to taste
Directions
- Pulse the garlic briefly in the food processor.
- Pulse the basil, maybe a half cup at a time.
- Add the pine nuts and cheese. Pulse briefly.
- With the processor running add the olive oil slowly just until incorporated.
- Salt to taste.
Nutrition information (per 1 tablespoon serving)
- Calories: 109
- Total fat: 12 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Trans fat: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 2 mg
- Total carbohydrate: 1 g
- Dietary fiber: 0 g
- Sodium: 81 mg
- Protein: 1 g