Preserve your fresh basil by whirring up the most magical of condiments.
½ cup pine nuts, toasted
3 Oz Parmesan, grated (about ¾ cup)
2 or more garlic gloves, finely grated
6 cups basil leaves
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tsp kosher salt (if desired)
Toast pine nuts in a dry hot skillet or in the oven on baking sheet at 350° tossing occasionally, until golden brown. Transfer to a food processor and let cool. Add cheese and garlic and pulse until finely ground, about 1 minute. Add basil and with the motor running, add olive oil in a slow and steady stream until pesto is mostly smooth, with just a few flecks of green, about 1 minute. Season with salt (I usually think the cheese is salty enough but that’s just me).
If holding in the fridge for a day or two, keep in tight container and cover top with oil to prevent discoloration.
If freezing, use ice cube trays. Fill and cover tightly with Saran. Freeze. Then pop out the individual portions the next day and freeze again in a Ziplock bag.
Enjoy with pasta, on a sandwich, as a base for pizza, any time you want a jolt of spicy basil deliciousness.
All that being said:
This was clipped by me from the Chicago Tribune at some time in the past 50 years. I am currently curating, tossing/turning, and enjoying 8 huge binders of recipes I scissored from magazines and newspapers long before Pinterest or Epicurious or all the easy ways we have to research now as I am "downsizing".
Anyway, this, for the love of bringing all the human senses into the moment.
No cuisinart can replace it.
A pesto technique:
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