Simple Basil Pesto
Traditionally, pesto is made using a mortar and pestle, but I like to use a mini food processor. Often, the barrier to cooking is finding the time, and this handy kitchen tool makes cooking quicker and cleaning up easy.
The quantities in this recipe are perfect for a small food processor — you can even pack in a bit more basil if you like. To make a larger batch, use a full-sized food processor, or make two batches! Maybe the second one can have a different ingredient or two. You'll find some ideas after the recipe.
Ingredients
Basil leaves — about a cup, firmly packed
2 fresh garlic cloves
Pine nuts — about 1/4 cup
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese — about 1/4 cup
Olive oil — about 1/3 cup
Celtic salt or sea salt
Optional: A teaspoon or so of fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Put the garlic and pine nuts in the food processor and pulse for a few seconds until finely chopped.
Use a spatula to scrape down the sides, then add the basil. Blend again for a few seconds until the basil is finely minced. Pulse a few times if the basil gets stuck.
Add the olive oil and salt, then blend again until smooth (using your spatula on sides when needed so everything blends evenly).
Add the cheese and blend (or pulse a few times) to combine.
Taste and adjust — now’s the time to add more garlic, nuts, cheese, or salt if needed.
Add the optional dash of fresh lemon juice or zest. It just adds a special layer of flavor that's fabulous.
That's it! It's done. Now the fun part — how to serve it.
Mini food processor and a Microplane for zesting
Serving Ideas:
Grilled cheese with basil pesto
Pork tenderloin, roasted with parsley pesto in the middle
Rack of lamb with basil and mint pesto — and fries!
Carrots with basil dill pesto to dip
Pasta and pesto packed for school lunch
Leftover pesto & cream with pasta
Leftover roast sirloin with pesto
Pesto on tartines
Simplicity is often the best — pesto on a fresh, ripe summer tomato
Peseto served as a veggie dip
Tartines with pesto and other tasty nibbles
Pesto on radishes for an easy first course
First course: roasted pepper, a piece of focaccia, one Greek olive, and a dollop of pesto — all leftovers
Pesto on carrot flan for a party
Dill pesto for leftover chicken
You can even make pea pesto!
All you need to make your pesto in a flash is a few ingredients and a mini food processor. When you have some pesto on hand, you'll find a way to use it — with leftover chicken, a dollop on ravioli or in soup, baked on whitefish, on pizza, in salads, and on sandwiches.
I served pesto and veggies for apéritif one Friendsgiving dinner. The kids devoured it — all but one tablespoon, which I saved. The next day my son's friend Quran asked, "Hey, do you have any more of that pesto left for my turkey sandwich?" Well, I never throw away even the smallest amount of leftovers. He spread the last bit of pesto on toasted bread and topped it with turkey and melted Havarti cheese. It was delicious!
Leftover turkey with pesto and melted havarti — thanks, Quran, for that delicious idea!
You can serve pesto in so many ways and make so many variations by modifying this basic recipe — use walnuts and almonds instead of (or with) pine nuts. Skip the cheese or use Romano or Comté. And of course, you can change herbs. Here are some more ideas. Please write to me and let me know what you do with your pesto.
Parsley and dill pesto
Find it online: https://returntothetable.com/the-power-of-pesto/