Recipe: Basil Pesto

There are few things in life as good and summery as a bunch of fresh picked basil leaves.

Are you with me?

It's so fresh, hearty, uplifting! I love it.

I recently came upon a giant bunch of fresh basil and pondered what to do to make the MOST out of this gorgeous herb mountain. Either a. homemade tomato basil red sauce, b. homemade basil pesto, c. basil-infused water, d. a gorgeous fragrant centerpiece, or e. all of the above. You guessed it... E!

Basil pesto seemed so inherently Italian that I turned to myExtra Virgin cookbook for some inspiration. Of course Debi and Gabriele had a delicious basil pesto recipe in there. But being the explorer-in-the-kitchen that I am, I decided to add in some fresh lemon zest and lemon juice. Because, I am kinda obsessed with adding lemon zest and juice to recipes. Hi, I'm DeAnna and I have a lemon problem.

Anyway, it worked and it came out delicious. Very hearty, earthy, pesto-y, and then a bit fresh, uplifting and zingy from the lemon addition. The high quality Parmesan cheese added a nutty warm flavor, while the pine nuts brought it all together.

On a scale from a monkey could do it to Top Chef worthy, this would be somewhere close to the monkey in easiness. Very family-friendly recipe as well as kids could easily pick the leaves off the basil stems and wash and the watch it all come together.

What is your favorite way to use basil pesto??

You will need:

  • 4 cups fresh basil leaves (washed and dried)

  • 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts (toast in a dry saucepan over medium heat, 5 mins)

  • 1/2 cup high quality Parmesan cheese

  • 2 - 4 fresh cloves of garlic (you decide)

  • zest and juice from 1 lemon

  • pinch of salt + cracked pepper (to taste)

  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (organic, cold-pressed)

Tools:

  • Food processor or high speed blender

  • saucepan for toasting pine nuts

  • spatula, for scrapping the sides of mix

  • mason jar for storing

To make:

Add first 6 ingredients to food processor, in order listed above. Pulse the food processor 3 times. Then, drizzle in olive oil while food processor is on and let blend for 1 - 2 minutes. If the mixture is clumping on the sides, turn off and scrap the sides and then blend again.

Use in veggie wraps, layered in to veggie lasagna, or tossed with gluten-free pasta and topped with fresh Romano cheese + enjoy!

Storing: 

Store in an air tight container in the fridge. You may add a layer of olive oil on top to preserve the mixture for a week or so. You may also freeze (either in ice cube trays and then pop out to store in a container or in a freezer-safe container) and store for up to 3 months. Enjoy!

{Pesto tossed with rice pasta, sprinkled with fresh grated Romano + topped with fresh basil!}

*Gluten-Free    *Vegetarian    *Vegan(eliminate Parmesan)

Clean Eating, Health, RecipeDeAnna Englezos