Adventures in Pesto

Now that things are starting to get back to normal, I went to my garden for the first time in three weeks.  There were a ton of weeds to pull and plants to cut back.  But, best of all, there was a lot of basil that had grown in while I was working on the fundraiser.

Today, I harvested my first batch of fresh basil.  It was a small grocery bag full.  I then headed home to turn the fresh basil into pesto. 

You may not know, but cooking is one of my favorite hobbies.  While I'm growing my garden this year, I will try to post more often about what I'm making. This is my favorite pesto recipe:

Ingredient
Fresh basil, stems removed                   4 oz.
Pine nuts (not toasted)                           1/2 cup
Garlic gloves                                          6
Freshly ground black pepper                 To taste
Extra virgin olive oil                              1/2 cup
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese            2/3 cup
Salt                                                         To taste 

Steps:
1. Place basil, pine nuts, garlic, and pepper in food processor.

2. Turn on the food processor and add olive oil in a thin stream. Process until a puree has been obtained.

3. Remove the mixture from the food processor and combine with cheese in a mixing bowl. Taste before adding the salt.

4. Store in a refrigerator or freezer.  Serve on pasta or as a dip or spread.

Below is a photo of the pesto afterward.  This is two recipes worth of pesto.  I put a tiny bit of olive oil in the top of each container before sealing it and freezing it.  It will last quite a long time and is easy to thaw out when you're ready to use it.

Hopefully, the basil will grow back in just a few weeks, so I can make a second batch.