This is a recipe for a traditional Italian pesto sauce made with fresh basil, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and pine nuts.
Put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves and salt in the blenderor food processor, (I use the food processor), and mix at high speed.
Stopfrom time to time and scrape the ingredients down towardthe bottom with a rubber spatula.
When the ingredients are evenly blended,pour into a bowl and beat in the two grated cheeses by hand.
(This is notmuch work, and it results in a more interesting textureand better flavor than you get when you mix in the cheese in the blender.
)When the cheese has been evenly incorporated into the other ingredients,beat in the butter (softened to room temperature).
Before spooning thepesto over pasta, add to it a tablespoon or so of the hot water in whichthe pasta has been cooked.
Katie's Note: Pesto freezes very well, so I make as much of it as Ican when basil is in season.
(Basil is also very easy to grow, andproduces a lot).
Spoon each serving (about 3 T) into small muffin tins andfreeze.
When frozen, pop out cubes and put in plastic bags.
This way, ifyou are just cooking for yourself, or for more, it's always available.
Itry to have enough on hand in the freezer in September,so I can have it, one way or another, once a week or so until aboutthe next July, when I can begin to harvest my next crop.
Ingredients
Directions
Put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic cloves and salt in the blenderor food processor, (I use the food processor), and mix at high speed.
Stopfrom time to time and scrape the ingredients down towardthe bottom with a rubber spatula.
When the ingredients are evenly blended,pour into a bowl and beat in the two grated cheeses by hand.
(This is notmuch work, and it results in a more interesting textureand better flavor than you get when you mix in the cheese in the blender.
)When the cheese has been evenly incorporated into the other ingredients,beat in the butter (softened to room temperature).
Before spooning thepesto over pasta, add to it a tablespoon or so of the hot water in whichthe pasta has been cooked.
Katie's Note: Pesto freezes very well, so I make as much of it as Ican when basil is in season.
(Basil is also very easy to grow, andproduces a lot).
Spoon each serving (about 3 T) into small muffin tins andfreeze.
When frozen, pop out cubes and put in plastic bags.
This way, ifyou are just cooking for yourself, or for more, it's always available.
Itry to have enough on hand in the freezer in September,so I can have it, one way or another, once a week or so until aboutthe next July, when I can begin to harvest my next crop.
