With Labor Day around the corner my basil garden is almost finished. It lasted through the summer and actually seemed to thrive in the heat as long as I remembered to water it. To me biting into basil is summer. It’s fresh and green and kind of spicy and so versitile. There is pesto and fresh basil torn and tossed in a salad. Basil added to tomato sauce or basil on grilled fish or chicken and on and on…It’s also good for you with a lot of nutrients, especially Vitamin K! And it is an anti-inflammatory, too. Hooray for basil!! This is my favorite pesto recipe.
Pesto
2 cups of basil 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/3 cup pine nuts 2 medium sized garlic cloves, minced Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Combine the basil and pine nuts in a food processor, pulse and then add the garlic. When combined slowly add the olive oil. Add the cheese and combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Makes 1 cup.
You can also toast the pine nuts, or substitute pistachio (which I did in the days when you couldn’t find pine nuts for sale in Texas).
Love pesto. In fact, we just made some with the last of the basil from our garden. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I hope that you enjoy it!
Ed, pistachio is a great idea and one that I’ve never tried. BTW your blog looks f-ing amazing!