Chronicles of a Frugal Gardener

My basil is beautiful this year.  Large, full, plentiful.  So of course I had to make basil pesto.  It's fairly easy to do and incredibly tasty.

Here is the recipe I use

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Special equipment needed: A food processor

Method

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

2 cups of fresh basil leaves, packed is a lot of leave.  After I plucked the life of my basil plant to near death, I felt as if I should at least offer it mouth to mouth to help it recover.  I didn't and it is doing just fine.

Anyway, pesto isn't the cheapest thing to make.  The cheese and the pine nuts can be quite expensive so this is more a treat than a regular addition to our meals. In our house, since a little goes a long way, we will have left overs.

I freeze my left overs but not in large quantities.  I spoon the remaining portion into ice cube trays.



Once the pesto is frozen, I will take the cubes out of the tray and place them in a freezer bag until I need one, two, or three.This allows me to easily remove an individual, portion size quantity and use it without having to thaw or chip away at a larger block.  I wouldn't want to waste any of this tasty treat.