I have had a long love affair with pesto. It is something that is just so easy and versatile
. Luckily for me it is something my family loves to eat. And now that my basil is growing nicely in my garden there was no better time then to now to make the first basil pesto of the summer.
One of the best things about pesto is you can mix things up whenever you make it! For instance last night I realized I had no pine nuts… so I substituted roasted non-salted peanuts and it came out amazing. I have also used almonds and walnuts before and they work wonderfully as well.
- 3/4 cups Fresh Basil Leaves
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 3 Tablespoons Any Nuts
- 2 cloves Garlic, Peeled
- Salt And Pepper, to taste
- 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Add basil leaves, 1/2 cup Parmesan, pine nuts, and salt and pepper to a food processor or blender. Turn machine on, then drizzle in olive oil while it mixes. Continue blending until combined, adding additional olive oil if needed.
You can put this sauce over pasta, on bread, on pizza crust… just about anywhere!
Enjoy!