Hi Housewives!
Ahhhhhhhh fresh Basil…I love it! It’s alluring aroma brings me back to summers, childhood and my mother’s vegetable garden. If you love pesto sauce then I’m sure you’ve tried the jarred types they sell in supermarkets only to be disappointed in the taste. I have tried a few and was not very happy with them.
How many times have you needed just 4-5 fresh basil leaves to brighten up your pasta dish but have to buy a whole bunch??? Probably too many times to count. If there’s one thing I despise its waste. I hate having to throw perfectly good food out. So, I am always trying to think of ways to use food before it goes bad. So before your basil goes bad – turn your basil into a homemade pesto sauce! It looks like it would be hard and intimidating to make but in fact it is quite the opposite! It’s so easy and can stay in the fridge for up to a week or you can freeze it. The thing with this recipe is actually tasting it along the way. I am going to give you estimations on each ingredient but please taste it and add more of what you want. That is what I basically do for this.
- package of fresh basil leaves
- a jar of pignoli nuts/pine nuts – You can also use almonds if you can’t find pignoli nuts
- 1/2 cup grated cheese – I prefer pecorino/romano but you can use parmesan reggiano
- 1 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic cloves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Put all ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor and pulse. While, food processor is still running slowly pour in your olive oil and pulse. You are done!!! EASY! Did I say this was easy!?! Now, think of the mark up on a pesto pasta dish in restaurants….hmmmm…..makes you think, huh?
Taste your pesto now and if you want to add more of this or that do so and pulse some more. Serve over your favorite pasta, over chicken, as a topping with crackers or place in fridge until ready to use. If you are freezing it put it in containers as air is the pesto’s biggest enemy and pour some olive oil over it to film it.
Enjoy!
RHC