Whenever I have a bunch of basil to use up before it goes bad, I make a batch of pesto. I learned somewhere along the line to freeze it into tablespoon portions in an ice cube tray, then separate it out into plastic baggies once it’s frozen. This way, your basil doesn’t go bad and you have perfectly sized portions of pesto to pop out of the freezer whenever you need them. And it helps that I’m in love with pesto. In pastas, as a pizza sauce, stuffed with cheese into chicken breasts, sliced into scallops before searing them, in paninis…..
Pesto
Source: Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Italian Recipes
*Makes about 3/4 cup
This is a traditional pesto recipe without any unusual additons. I love it.
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
Salt and pepper
1. In a food processor or a blender, combine all of the ingredients. Cover and process or blend until nearly smooth, stopping and scraping the sides as necessary. If necessary, add additional olive oil to thin the pesto.
