If you’ve never made homemade pesto trust me when I say you’re missing out. It’s summertime in your mouth. Fresh basil, toasted pine nuts & sharp parmesan cheese. Mmmmm…
This stuff is so good I could easily eat it by the spoonful. In fact I might just have done that, & then gotten a belly-ache, & then did it again. Glutton for punishment but it’s just that good. Try it on pasta, dolloped on a toasted crostini or even as a spread on a tomato mozzarella panini, you really can’t go wrong.
I’ve tried a few pesto recipes & while they’re all pretty similar Giada’s is my favorite. You can always make extra & freeze it but honestly, we’ve never had extra. One thing I do freeze however are pine nuts, those little suckers are expensive, I never use the whole bag & if you leave them in the pantry they’ll turn rancid. I tossed the extras (untoasted) in a tupperware & stuck them in the freezer for the next time I get the pesto itch.
Basil Pesto
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts (toast briefly in a hot ungreased skillet or on a baking sheet, just be careful, they burn quick!)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup – 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Into the bowl of a food processor, add the garlic, basil leaves, pine nuts, salt, and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. With the blender still running, slowly pour 1/2 cup of olive oil. Check for a thick, yet smooth consistency, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan. (I use this hand mixer for my purees, soups & other random blendings)
I lived in Italy for 3 months on a student exchange and we made pesto with some of the students from other parts of Italy. We hand-ground fresh basil from the market on the street with a glass on a plate, added olive oil and chopped pine nuts, and THAT’S IT. It was the first and best pesto I’ve ever had!
I made a bunch of pesto last yr with fresh basil from my garden. We never ate it. It is still sitting in my freezer!
I HAVE to make this! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the recipe! I’m part of a CSA and they keep giving me tons and tons of fresh basil. I did make a pesto and it was ok but I’d like a tried and true recipe. I’ll be trying this soon!
I just printed off your recipe for the Pesto and I don’t see any mention about when to add the lemon juice. Also there are two different amount of olive oil. 1/4 cup at beginning of recipe and later on 1/2 cup. When do you add the first 1/4 cup? With the garlic, basil nuts etc? Just want to make sure before I start to make it. My basil is growing like crazy. Thanks. LYn
Hi Lyn! So sorry but I think I must’ve copied over that recipe along with the one next to it. Scratch the lemon juice & use the 1/2 cu EVOO. The olive oil isn’t an exact measurement, you should just drizzle it in while the food processor is going until you get the consistency you like. Hope that helps, sorry for the confusion!