There’s something so satisfying about growing basil from seed, watering it, and over just a few weeks seeing tiny sprouts turn into lush, fragrant plants; every handful feels like a little reward for your patience.
Every summer, one of the things I look forward to is harvesting fresh basil from my garden and turning it into homemade pesto.
The best part of growing basil is that after you harvest the leaves, the plant keeps growing all summer.
Fresh pesto is one of the easiest and most delicious ways to use an abundance of basil, and it freezes beautifully, making it the perfect way to preserve your summer harvest.
Basil Pesto Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 cups packed fresh basil leaves, washed and dried
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil (use good quality olive oil)
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Romano cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tsp. of the juice of fresh lemon
Directions:
- Add the basil leaves, garlic, and pine nuts to a food processor.
- Pulse a few times to chop the ingredients.
- With the processor running, slowly stream in the olive oil until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
- Transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, salt, and fresh lemon juice.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
Enjoy immediately or freeze for later; pesto will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge in a tightly sealed container, or up to 8 months in the freezer.
Uses for Basil Pesto:
Bring the pesto to room temperature, then add it to the cooked pasta; mix well. No need to heat up the pesto.
Spread on pizza.
Delicious as a spread on sandwiches (especially tomato sandwiches).
Spread it on crostini (this is my favourite, and I add some black Kalamata olives and sundried tomatoes).
Tomato Sauce (after your sauce is cooked, add a dollop of pesto).
Makes a great topping for tomato soup (add after soup is cooked, and before eating).
If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments section.
Love Italian family traditions?
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If that sounds like your kind of escape, I hope you’ll check it out.
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