Pesto!

With fall coming soon (at least that's what they keep telling us) it was time to pull out the basil and make one more batch of pesto for the winter.



I use a combination of two recipes for my Pesto, one that blanches and one that uses the basil fresh. I divide the leaves into 2 bowls....the lighter, smaller, more tender leaves go into one, and the bigger, tougher leaves (to be blanched) go into the other. Not sure it makes that much of a difference, but I think blanching helps to soften the bigger leaves and the un-blanched (is that a word?) give the Pesto a greener more intense color. For this recipe, I have about 6 cups of each...12 total.



After washing (and dividing) I quickly dip (in and out) the big leaves in boiling water...this cool strainer tool is a huge help scooping the leaves out.






A quick dip in the ice bath, and then onto a white t-shirt to pat dry.










At this point the basil looks identical to cooked spinach, it also serves to shrink the 6 cups of leaves down to about 1/2 cup of green glob (sounds yummy...no?)





In food processor, grind together.....1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan,
1 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, 5 cloves minced garlic. Add Basil and 3/4 cup olive oil and process. You can add salt and pepper to taste but usually the Parmesan is enuf to do the trick.







Ready to go into the freezer....along with the batch I made earlier in the summer, this should get us thru the winter! (I actually made 2 batches this day...5 bags plus a container that went into the fridge)



Can't make fresh pesto and not use it! For lunch we had whole wheat pasta, sauted onion and peppers (still pulling these guys out of the garden:) and tomatoes. Mix hot pasta with several tablespoons of pesto and a touch of olive oil...add veggies....Yum!