PESTO!
Basil pesto. Oh man, it’s so good. One of the greatest things about pesto is how versatile it is AND you don’t have to cook anything in order to make it. Perfection.
Add it to marinara sauce … Perfection.
Add it to hummus … Perfection.
Add it to Naan and lightly grill … Perfection.
Add it to pizza in place of marinara …
I think you get the idea.
BUT (and this is a big but) I do not recommend just deciding to make pesto. For the sake of your wallet, pesto is an amazing thing to make if currently have A LOT of basil on hand. The cost to buy all of these ingredients … yikes. There are some really great pre-made pestos you can buy from the store and they are great. My go-to is Buitoni Basil Pesto that you can find in the refridgerator section of the grocery store. However, if you find yourself drowning in basil, this should be a go to recipe. You can make a bunch, put it in small jars and freeze it to use throughout the year. Here’s how:
55g basil leaves
1/2c extra virgin olive oil+ more for topping
75g Parmigiano Reggiano
25g Pecorino
2 garlic cloves, peeled
15g pine nuts
kosher salt
**IMPORTANT: in order to keep your pesto bright green, it needs to stay cool. The blending process naturally heats things up so you have to start cold. Put your mixer bowl and blade in the freezer while your prepping the ingredients.
Put basil, pine nuts, garlic and Parmigiano in mixer and pulse to a rough chop.
Rough chop to get it all started.
Then add the Pecorino and a healthy pinch of Kosher salt. Blend for 1 minute (stop a couple of times during the minute so that the mixture doesn’t heat up). Scrape down the bowl, pour in the oil and blend again for about 4-5 minutes. Again, stop multiple times throughout the 4-5 minutes just to keep the mixture from getting too warm.
Then, pour into jars and top with olive oil. The oil keeps the basil from browning. Kind of like how an avocado browns after a few minutes.
Top with olive oil to keep the basil from browning.
You can store the pesto in an air tight container for a couple of weeks or freeze it for … I mean, a few months?? I’m willing to take my chances with something this fantastic. Enjoy!