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Basic Pesto
Source: "John Ash: Cooking One on One" (Entered by Pat Whetham)This is the most basic basil pesto, made with blanched basil and not too much olive oil.
Serves: Makes 1 cup of pesto
Vegetarian!
Ingredients
2 TBS
poached or toasted garlic
3 TBS
toasted, chopped pine nuts or almonds
1/3 cup
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/3 cup
freshly grated Parmesan or Asiago chees
to taste
salt & freshly ground pepper
Step by Step Instructions
- Blanch basil by dropping the leaves into a pot of boiling water for 5 - 10 seconds. Immediately drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking and set the bright green color.
- Drain basil and squeeze as much water from it as you can. Chop the basil coarsely and place in a food processor or blender.
- Add garlic, nuts and olive oil and Puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Comments
Comments added by fellow market members.
It takes 1/2 # of basil on the stems to make about 3 cups of basil leaves.
In my experience, pesto for freezing is best made without garlic and cheese. And I never add nuts of any kind. I also prefer more olive oil in the mixture for freezing - as much as 1 cup of oil for 3 cups of basil leaves - and find that it keeps longer in the freezer. I've kept it at least a year with no loss of quality. Pesto can be used as a pasta sauce, a pizza sauce, on bruschetta or crostini, and as a seasoning for other dishes that can benefit by the addition of basil. Other herbs can be substituted or added to change the flavor