Basil Pesto
I love having plenty of basil on hand to use in a variety of recipes - especially pesto! Pesto is an Italian classic. It's a simple paste made from basil leaves and other tasty ingredients. I like things that are full of flavor, simple and easy to make, and this is certainly one of them.
Ingredients
- 1 cup, packed basil leaves
- 2 crushed cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper, ground
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 cup romano cheese, grated
Instructions
In a blender combine basil, garlic, pine nuts, pepper and olive oil. Blend at a high speed until smooth, then put the paste in a bowl and add Parmesan cheese.
Give the mixture a good stir to incorporate the cheese and it's ready to fold into your favorite pasta. I use about 1/2 cup of pesto per pound of cooked pasta. What you don't use, you can freeze. What a great use for all that extra basil!
Notes
You can toast nuts in a pan in the oven. Simply bake them for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Watch them carefully, you can burn them before you know it!
You can use walnuts in place of pine nuts, if you prefer
You can also use romano cheese in place of parmesan cheese
Time to prepare: 20 minutes.
Serves 4.
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