Last week we were in zucchini overload, this week I am in basil overload! As you may have read this spring, most of my herbs are in my deck on planters, because of our neighborhood deer. I have had a ton of success with my plants and have used them in various dishes all summer. I then went to my parent’s house for a beach weekend, and saw this:
You see it too, right? That comfy looking hammock? Ah, I settled in there for a good nap, and some good reading time. Just kidding..the BASIL!!! Such beautiful basil..must be the salt water that lets it grow so well. Either way, I asked my mom if I could have some (aka all) to make pesto. My adorable little nieces then helped me pick just about every leaf off of those plants (love them!), and I was set to make LOTS of pesto!
I have tried a bunch of recipes over the years, as well as the store-bought pesto….for me, I finally have the right mixture of cheese, garlic and pine nuts. Yum yum.
Mastering Mommy Brain’s Pesto
3 cups Basil, packed
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
4 tablespoons of pine nuts
1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 cup of oil
Put all ingredients into a food processor, and blend until all ingredients are mixed well.
And that is IT. Seriously, measuring out 5 ingredients, and putting them all in a food processor. Just that easy!
The night I made the pesto, I did a pesto, shrimp, pasta, and cherry tomato dish. I also use it on sandwiches for a little “pop”…check out my pinterest “pesto” board for more fun recipes to try!
To freeze, you can put about 1 1/2 cups of pesto into freezer-friendly containers. Take them out and defrost right before you are ready to use them.
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Yes! I was just wondering if I could freeze the pesto and how it would come out and here you are with this post! My new summer favorite is sliced bread (There is an awesome calamata olive one at the Monroe Farmer’s Market)spread with pesto and sprinkled with mozzarella, warmed in the oven and then topped with a tomato slice.