Time For Basil Pesto (Recipe)

This summer has been a grand one for my herbs.  I have thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and my favorite – basil.  I put in around 15 basil plants and they have grown like beasts!  They shot up so much one week that I decided it was time to have a pesto making session.

I cut them back to about 12 inches high and came in with this armload to work on.

There was lots of washing to do!

Each batch calls for 4 packed cups of basil leaves.  I ended up making 6 batches.

The pesto station.

Freshly processed pesto.

I put each batch in a bowl and covered it with plastic wrap.  This keeps it from turning dark.  I added each batch to the bowl and when I finished processing, I mixed them all together.  This is so I would have a uniform flavor. 

I then packaged the pesto into individual airtight bags of about 2/3 a cup each.  This is what I usually need for a recipe.  A little pesto goes a long way!  The small bags went into a larger freezer bag for storage.  It freezes very well and thaws in minutes.

Teri’s Basil Pesto

4 cups fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup EVOO

2/3 cup pine nuts

2 small cloves of garlic or 1 tsp chopped jar garlic

Juice from about 1/4 of a lemon

Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth but still having some texture.  Take a test taste to make sure it is to your liking.  I don’t like a strong garlic flavor in my pesto so if you do, you’ll need to add more. 

Also I don’t add the cheese that is in many recipes.  If I want cheese I’ll add it when I use the pesto.

http://www.abowlfulloflemons.net/2013/09/one-project-at-a-time-9313.html