So...Imagine my shock and awe when I first tried and discovered pesto. What is pesto? Let's break it down. Basically, it's cups and cups of basil leaves with some of my other favorite ingredients...such as garlic, walnuts/almonds (for those of you who are weirdos, pine nuts), olive oil, and Parmesan cheese. It's blended and whipped into this heavenly green paste and you can (and should!!!!!) put it on everything.
Today, I am sharing my recipe for my pesto. I debated for awhile if I wanted to, but so many people out there need pesto in their lives. You guys, it makes life so much simpler....and frankly, way more delicious. Chicken is no longer boring and gross chicken "on the grill" or "in the oven" with no flavoring or seasoning...it's now dressed in all it's basil pesto glory sitting proudly on the plate ready to be devoured by your family, as they look at you with amazement in their eyes at the incredible meal that you just prepared using your trusty green friend. Ok...a little bit of a stretch, but for us moms, it's nice to think about...or dream about rather. :-)
First, let me do a shout out to all my cheapskate friends. Whether you're Dutch or just a cheapskate, listen up. Basil, unfortunately, can be quite expensive...especially in the winter months. Ok, who are we kidding?? It's CRAZY expensive in the winter time. $3.99 for a tiny sprig?? No thanks Meijer!! Rip off much?! But yet, I'm so addicted that I buy it anyway. Ha! So, I've learned to buy it in season, when I can get it for $1/bunch from my most favorite local farmers market vendor evahhhhh, and get 2-3 cups of leaves from each bunch. I make huge batches of pesto at a time so that I can freeze it and support my habit year round. :-) Not sharing who she is though...other people have discovered her as well....and it's ruining my life. How you might ask? I now have to leave my house at 7am to get to the market and buy most of it before all these other crazies do. And again, for those of you who know me...you know that mornings and I aren't in a good place.
Alright, first step. Get your pesto. Please buy local if you can. You support your local economy by doing so, save yourself some money and get a superior product. Win. Win. Win. For my large batch of pesto recipe I am sharing today (large being 2-3 pint jars/small Tupperware containers) you will need the following:
- 6 cups pesto leaves
- 6 garlic cloves (I like to use unbleached kind)
- 2/3 C of almonds, walnuts or pine nuts (if you're gross and like those)
- 1 C freshly grated Parmesan cheese (you can substitute Parmesan Reggiano too.)
- 1 C good quality extra virgin olive oil (you don't use all of it usually, so relax)
- food processor
- saucepan
- patience
- containers for storing pesto
Step 1: Wash pesto and separate leaves from the stalk. When I say wash, I don't mean under some water quickly or in a strainer. You need to separate the 6 cups (packed cups by the way) of leaves and then have a large bowl filled with water and soak them in there. The dirt will be washed off and settle at the bottom of the bowl because it's heavier then the water. 6 cups may seem like a lot, but it's not once it's all ground together.
Basil is an extremely dirty plant. Not gross, just full of dirt, because it grows in the ground :-) Please don't wash the basil your own way, you'll end up bruising it and having gross dirt and worms in your pesto. And that's nasty. But, to each their own. Soak the basil leaves for a few min, stir them around to get any excess dirt off and then remove from water onto a clean kitchen towel. Pat dry (gently as basil bruises very easily) with a kitchen towel and then with a paper towel.
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| See how dirty that one leaf is? Soak in the water. Stir. This works so well because the dirt is heavier than the leaves. The dirt will settle at the bottom of the bowl and the clean, beautiful leaves will be on top! |
Step 2: Grab whichever choice of nut you decide on, and measure out the appropriate amount. I personally like to roast mine to bring out all the flavors and oils that it has to offer. Roasting nuts is the best way to maximize their flavor and that way, you don't need to use as many. Frugality first people! You can roast in the oven or on the stove top. For the sake of time and convenience, I always roast this small amount in a shallow saucepan on the cook top. Basically, all you do is set them on medium heat and stir them around so they don't burn, and wait for the moment...the moment is that special moment when you smell them roasting. It's heavenly. You'll know it when you smell it. After that, they're ready to be poured into the food processor along with your 6 cups of basil leaves.
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| I used roasted walnuts in this recipe. But feel free to use any kind! |
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| Simply smash and peel. |
*To remove the skin easily and without saying a choice word or two, grab your knife, lay it flat against the garlic clove with skin still on and make a fist and smash the garlic clove by hitting the knife. This separates the clove from the skin for easy removal.
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| Roast following the directions above. Then add to your food processor. |
Step 4: Add your Parmesan cheese. I'm not super picky as long as it's a hard, fresh light cheese. It HAS to be some kind of Parmesan family cheese. And no, not the kind in the shaker. This kind comes in a block. I paid only a little over $5 for mine at Whole Foods. You can find it at your local grocery store. You're going to want to have 1 cup of this grated (you can also purchase it pre-grated) and throw that into the food processor as well.
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| Any hard cheese will do. I used my hand grater. |
Step 5: Add 1/2 C of the EV olive oil to something that's easy to pour from. You will slowly be incorporating the olive oil into the pesto as we are blending the ingredients from steps 1-4. This is why I keep talking about using a food processor instead of something like a blender. A blender WOULD work, but it's a bit harder to use with slowly incorporating the olive oil...trust me...I'm speaking from experience...and having it look like the Hulk exploded in my kitchen from trying to use a blender :-) But if you wanna try, be my guest!
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| Good quality olive oil. I added my 1 Cup to a spouted glass measuring cup for easy pouring. |
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| Blend together slowly and steadily. Add in that steady stream of olive oil and it'll start coming together. Keep checking consistency and check for a good flavor at the end. |
**Taste test it!!! Make sure you like it!! Does it need anything? Is it lacking something? Need more oil? Cheese? Basil? Sometimes, I will add red pepper flakes for a batch with a kick. Sometimes I'll add a splash of lemon. I don't season with salt and pepper because I do that when I use it in/on things. I'm giving you my basic pesto recipe and am giving you creative control to dress it up or down however you would like. Experimenting with flavors is THE BEST thing you can do for your cooking life. You'll have some major fails...I have. Orange cake was my biggest fail ever. But that's a story for another time :-) I would just like to challenge you to use this recipe, but make it your own. Branch out and try some new things.
Step 7: Add it slowly to your containers. IF YOU ARE FREEZING IT, you MUST add a thin layer of olive oil to the top so the top of the pesto is completely covered. Pesto is kind of like avocado, once it's exposed to oxygen it turns brown. It's not rotten or gross and it doesn't taste bad, but doesn't look so great. :-) I keep mine in the fridge for a week or two, never longer, but that's only because it doesn't last that long. And I freeze mine and use them all winter long. Look at you with your new pesto! Go on with your bad self!!
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| Jars or Tupperware containers work best! |
How to use your new pesto: The possibilities are ENDLESS. I like to use it on angel hair pasta. I will cook a few heaping tablespoons of pesto with some cream or milk, add some cherry tomatoes, salt and pepper, chicken, onion, a bit of flour to thicken it and pour it over angel hair pasta...or whatever kind of pasta you have. I like to brush it on chicken or salmon for the grill. It's AMAZING on corn on the cob. Pork tenderloin. Any kind of fish. Red skin potatoes...don't even get my started on the starch category...I mix it in with scrambled eggs. So, add a little (or a lot) to everything if you wish..and enjoy!
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| Angel hair pesto pasta |
I hope you try this awesome recipe!! Can't wait to hear what you all use it on!! Thanks for reading!
XOXO
AJ *
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