It was time to harvest the abundant basil leaves from my balcony garden. And turn it into a batch of all-time classic Italian basil pesto. With pine-nuts, garlic, cold pressed extra virgin olive oil and parmesan cheese. So delicious and so versatile. It dresses up pastas, soups, sandwiches, casseroles, chicken, roasted vegetables, risotto. You name it. Here is the recipe I use:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup pine nuts
- 8 small cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- freshly ground black pepper
Preparation:
Place the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and salt in a food processor and process until it is pureed- This is where you can choose to serve, refrigerate, or freeze. If you are freezing the pesto, it is most convenient to do so in an ice-cube tray so you have individual portions ready
- Before serving, stir in the parmesan cheese and black pepper
