So the first couple of years that we tried to grow basil, it did not work out very well for us. Our basil plants were a pathetic little stem with some yellowing leaves on them that finally just died. The last couple of years, to our great surprise, our basil plants have literally turned into bushes. We started planting them in the same bed as my tomato plants and learned that you had to snip off the little flowers to encourage more growth. As a matter of fact, I am happy to report that it works. But what to do with all that basil!? We decided to make pesto and every year, we tweak the recipe a little and our pesto is absolutely delicious. Basil pesto is really an easy recipe to make.
Basil, Parmesan cheese and fresh garlic make for amazing pesto which is great all by itself, in sauce, as a dip or on sandwiches. Last year we added Hungarian wax peppers to the recipe and it is absolutely delicious.
We store the pesto in small Ball canning jars, label them with the date and store them in the freezer to use all year long. Basil pesto can be kept the freezer for up to one year. The small jars of pesto make a great gift too.
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| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 5 minutes |
| Servings |
cups
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- 4 cups basil fresh basil, washed well and packed firmly into measuring cups
- 4-5 cloves garlic fresh
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 3/4 cup pine nuts
- 1 cup olive oil extra virgin
- 1 hungarian wax pepper (optional)
Ingredients
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- Using a food processor, finely chop the garlic
- Add basil a little at a time making sure that it is finely chopped
- Add the pine nuts to the basil and garlic and process until well incorporated
- (optional) Chop the pepper and add to the food processor. You can de-seed the pepper if you like, we left the seeds in for more heat.
- Add the cheese and blend until it has the consistency of paste
- Add olive oil slowly, blending well
Pesto can also be frozen in ice cube trays and then stored in a freezer safe container or bag. I store mine in small canning jars and then refrigerate for up to a week. I add the salt and pepper to taste depending on what I am using the pesto for. A little goes a very long way.
The pesto would be great with our Pesto Focaccia Bread, for recipe click here.
This Basil Pesto recipe is Gluten Free and Vegetarian.
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