Presto Pesto!

We are serious basil-lovers in this household, with pesto being a favorite. Between Freida, Manasseh, and myself - we go through lots of this stuff! We use it on pretty much everything (the normal and the not-so-normal), from picnic pasta to scrambled eggs in the AM. Manasseh loves it on sandwiches - it's amazing on a schnitzel sandwich, steak sandwich, cold cuts etc. Freida will eat anything if it's got pesto (or marinara) on it, and I like having it on hand to give a low-fat Omega-3-loaded flavorful kick to anything at all! I make batches of it, and store it in baby food jars (it last up to a week in the fridge, and with some extra olive oil at the top it maintains its color pretty well).

Here's the basic recipe (the amounts are not exact and totally flexible):

2 Cups Fresh Basil Leaves

3-4 Garlic Cloves

1 Tablespoon Pine Nuts (Pignolis)

2 Tablespoons Walnuts

3 Tablespoons E.V. Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper (to taste)

Using a food processor, blend the basil (make sure to wash and check it - especially in the summer), garlic, and nuts together. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Voilà!

There can be all sorts of variations to pesto, the most common (and the most perfect!) is to add in about a tablespoon of parmesan cheese. This week I tried adding some sun-dried tomatos to the blend, and the flavor was incredible!

Enjoy!!