Fishtails and Pearls Pages

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Pesto...another summertime favorite

Homemade pasta with pesto just screams summertime. Now is the time to make it, enjoy it, or freeze it for later. I purchased a large bunch of basil, which I didn't get around to using, so I made a batch for the freezer.


Remove leaves from the stems and wash well, being sure to rinse off any dirt, and then spin dry in a salad spinner. My bunch yielded about 2 cups of leaves.




Peel one large clove of garlic:


Measure out one tbsp of pignoli nuts and place the garlic, nuts, and basil leaves into the food processor. Add 1/2 cup of grated cheese (parm or romano):

Cover and pulse until the leaves are all chopped:


Replace cover and turn on the processor.  While running add 1/4 - 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil and allow to mix until it forms a paste. Place in an airtight container in the refrigerator (should last a week), or freeze it to use later. Yield is about 1 1/2 cups of pesto which is about the amount you will need for one pound (that's before cooking) of pasta. Enjoy!


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