Pesto

On my patio I have a few potted herbs. Basil grows like a maniac and last year my sporadic usage couldn't keep up. So I decided to use as much as I could in one go: pesto. I've never made pesto before but I hear it's pretty easy. And it was. Sort of. Easy in that you throw all the ingredients in a food processor or blender (I chose blender) and process/blend until smooth. But it was also a bit frustrating. Maybe my blender is crap, but it took a bit of work to get everything to blend down. Anyways, I took my pesto and portioned it into an ice cube tray to freeze. Now I have little nuggets of flavor to add to dishes as I please. In a couple of days I'll make some homemade pizza and am looking forward to a little pesto flavor.


Pesto
makes about 3/4 cups, enough to sauce 1 pound of pasta

3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 cups packed fresh basil
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts, or almonds, toasted
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (optional)
Salt and pepper

1. Toast the garlic in an 8-inch skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until fragrant and spotty brown, about 7 minutes. Transfer garlic to a plate and let cool before peeling.

2. Process the peeled garlic, basil, oil, nuts, Parmesan, and parsley (if using) in a blender or food processor until smooth. Season with salt and peppery to taste.

3. When tossing the pesto with pasta, add some of the pasta cooking water as needed to loosen the consistency of the pesto. Store the pesto in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.


Notes:
1. I used just a tad less than 1/2 cup olive oil. I thought I could cut back on the oil and not miss it. So far the pesto seems normal.
2. I used walnuts instead of the traditional pinenuts. Why? Pinenuts were 34 dollars a pound while walnuts were 7 dollars.
3. Parsley is added because the basil can darken in pesto. Parsley keeps it a little bit more green. I used it since I had some growing on my patio.