Pesto is my jam.
I love it on pasta (see recipes number one, two, three).
I love it on sandwiches.
I love it in salads.
I love it on a spoon… *no shame*
As you can see, I am pretty obsessed with pesto sauce. Besides it’s delicious flavor, I love that pesto is SO EASY to make. All you need are some simple ingredients, a good food processor, and 10 minutes. Then you have enough pesto for sandwiches, salads, pasta, and spoons!
It all starts with a food processor.
We buy hunks of parmigiano reggiano, so my first step when I make pesto is buzz up a couple of small chunks until they are very finely ground.
Like this! I measure out the amount I need and then toss any extra into a tub to keep in the fridge for the rest of my family to use later. I then toss the grated cheese back into the bowl of the food processor with a couple cloves of finely minced garlic and some salt/pepper.
And then add in some walnuts.
Okay, I know that pesto is traditionally made with pine nuts but I actually prefer walnuts. 1. They’re always in my freezer. 2. They’re SO. MUCH. CHEAPER. than pine nuts. 3. I actually prefer the nuttier flavor of the walnuts compared to the pine nuts.
Blend everything together until the mixture is finely ground.
Then add in the star – fresh basil!
I thoroughly wash my basil in cold water (it’s sometimes really gritty when I bring it home from the farmer’s market) and then spin it dry in my salad spinner. This allows you to get all the water off the basil and prevents you from having watery pesto!
All that’s left is to pulse until the basil is completely incorporated into the cheese/walnut mixture. Then flip the food processor into the “on” position and stream in some extra version olive oil until the pesto sauce forms the consistency you desire! I like mine pretty thick but if you like yours more loose, that’s perfectly fine too.
Tada!
Yum.
So ready to start cooking with this (unless I eat it first!).
So, kiddos, what’s your favorite recipe using pesto? Let me know!
Your pesto obsessed friend,
Catherine
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3-6 cloves of garlic, finely minced - adjust garlic amount per your preference
- ½ cup walnut halves
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 5 cups basil leaves, washed and dried thoroughly
- ½-¾ cup olive oil, depending what consistency you desire
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, combine parmesan cheese, garlic, walnuts, salt, and pepper. Pulse until the cheese/walnut mixture is the consistency of sand.
- Add in the basil and continue to pulse until completely blended into the cheese/walnut mixture.
- Turn the food processor to the "on" position, slowly pour in the olive oil - stop when you reach your desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Serve as a pasta sauce, as a sandwich spread, or as a salad dressing!
Leave a Reply