Homemade Basil Pesto

Ah summer...it brings so many good things! One of my favorites is pesto season. We love pesto as sauce or garnish on pizza (especially any kind of chicken pizza!), as sauce on noodles, and smeared on chicken breast as in this easy Pesto Tomato Smothered Chicken meal.

Today was pesto day!

Basil Pesto

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pine nuts (I always use sliced almonds; walnuts can also substitute), lightly browned on stove top
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 cups packed basil leaves
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan (or romano or asiago)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt and pepper

Toast nuts in a pan using olive oil. Blend basil, nuts, garlic, and cheese, putting olive oil in blender slowly as it blends. Add salt and pepper and pulse until smooth. Add olive oil if you find it too thick.

You can freeze in small portions for easy thawing and use, or can in jars. Last year I used ice cube trays to freeze the pesto in, which proved very difficult to remove. This year I froze it in "plops" on a baking sheet covered in wax paper.

This recipe comes to you courtesy of my Aunt Reen, via my Mom, who convinced me that it's really so easy that I should be making my own pesto!  

I ended up with 10 packed cups of basil after cleaning it, so I tripled the recipe.

Last year's small batch.

This year I got got 6 cups of pesto from the first batch of basil harvested. I froze most and canned two small jars.

Enjoy!