Homemade Pesto

Wanting to see how green my thumb was, I planted a tomato plant along with basil, cantaloupe and zucchini all from seeds this year. Last year I tried unsuccessfully to plant chives and a couple other herbs but forgetting to water left empty dirt where the seeds were planted. This year I was more diligent with watering and was ecstatic when green sprouts poked up through the dirt.

So far my experiment is going well and last night I made fresh, homemade pesto.  The recipe I found on the web called for basil leaves, olive oil, garlic, Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.  

Can you tell I shop frequently at Costco?

 Put it all in the blender and blend away.

Pesto ravoli with White Merlot in my new Ragnar wine glass.

Thanks to Simply Recipes for the great recipe.  

Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

Yield: Makes 1 cup.