My farmer's market goodies. The basil was just calling my name today.
I love having homemade pesto in the fridge and in the freezer. You can use it to make so many things and it lasts in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and in the freezer for months. I love making it at home because the smell of the fresh basil in the food processor is amazing. I got some great basil at the farmer's market and knew I'd be making pesto this week.
Make sure your basil is clean and dry. I just snip off the leaves with my fingers and add them whole to the food processor.
I blend the basil with 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil just until the basil is chopped up.
Add a couple cloves of garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt and blend again until garlic is chopped up and pesto is well blended.
Your final product will be fresh and thick. You can add more olive oil to it later if you want. I make mine thick like this because it is easier to store. I also add other ingredients such as pine nuts or walnuts or
Parmesan cheese when I'm ready to use the pesto, especially if I'm going to make a pasta sauce with it. I also will make a spicy pesto by adding more olive oil and red pepper flakes to the food processor. This is really good to make
bruschetta and topping it with fresh mozzarella and
Parmesan cheese.
My farmer's market goodies. The basil was just calling my name today.
I love having homemade pesto in the fridge and in the freezer. You can use it to make so many things and it lasts in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and in the freezer for months. I love making it at home because the smell of the fresh basil in the food processor is amazing. I got some great basil at the farmer's market and knew I'd be making pesto this week.
Make sure your basil is clean and dry. I just snip off the leaves with my fingers and add them whole to the food processor.
I blend the basil with 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil just until the basil is chopped up.
Add a couple cloves of garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt and blend again until garlic is chopped up and pesto is well blended.
Your final product will be fresh and thick. You can add more olive oil to it later if you want. I make mine thick like this because it is easier to store. I also add other ingredients such as pine nuts or walnuts or Parmesan cheese when I'm ready to use the pesto, especially if I'm going to make a pasta sauce with it. I also will make a spicy pesto by adding more olive oil and red pepper flakes to the food processor. This is really good to make bruschetta and topping it with fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
My son loves pesto pasta. I guess I should make my own instead of buying it at the store.
ReplyDeleteHelene, Yes make it at home. You can buy bunches of basil at the market and make a lot so you can freeze it and just pull it out when you want to use it. Plus that way you can add whatever ingredients you want to make it different. I've added sweet peppers, different nuts, cheese, spices, etc.
ReplyDeleteI have been craving pesto and looking for a good recipe to make it. Can't wait to try yours! Thanks for coming by brownie week on my blog and entering to win the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThanks Becky! I can't help myself when it comes to brownies! :)
ReplyDelete