This summer we started a garden and WOW has it taken off! With so much basil leaves on our hands we decided to experiment with making our own homemade. Sure you can buy delicious pesto from Trader Joes but there is something about making your own that is so special. After harvesting our basil, I washed them and took off the stems. Honestly, prepping the leaves was the hardest part because after that I just combined the basil leaves in a food processor with walnuts, garlic, olive oil and parmesan cheese. And there you go! You have a versatile sauce for chicken, fish, pasta, or a dip for your veggies, crackers and bread.
Homemade Pesto
INGREDIENTS
2 c fresh basil leaves (packed but not compressed)
2 T walnuts or nut of choice
2 large cloves garlic (I sometimes add more heehee!)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Freshly ground pepper + salt, if desired
DIRECTIONS
1. Toast nuts in the oven at the lowest level your oven will allow for 5 minutes.
2. Combine basil leaves, nuts and garlic in a food processor until finely minced.
3. Add the grated parmesan cheese and process until combined.
4. Slowly dribble in the oil and process until smooth.
5. Store in the fridge and enjoy!
If you want to make pesto for the freezer at the end of basil season, leave out the garlic, cheese and pepper. You can freeze your pesto in ice cube trays and then pop them out into freezer bags for long term storing.
Another trick I’ve learned is to blanch the basil first and then plunge into ice water as this will guarantee a fresh green color and will still retain fresh flavor.
To blanch your basil do the following:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the basil and cook until it is deep green (about 10 seconds).
Shock it in ice cold water and then squeeze it completely dry before you begin to make your pesto.
I have only ever used walnuts in this recipe but would love to try pecans in the future! Have you ever made your own pesto? What do you like to pair pesto with? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
xoxo
-B
Remember, whoever said diamonds are a girls best friend never had a good pair of leggings or a dog