Ahhh pesto - such a humble sauce. A few simple ingredients come together to make a classic pasta dish that's hard to beat. Our herb garden really did well this year (well, not all herbs, but most did fine) and we found ourselves with a ton of extra basil... not a bad thing! I decided that it was time, once and for all, to try my hand at a yummy basil pesto. Traditionalists will tell you that pesto should only be made with a knife or mortar and pestle - no food processors or other electronics. Well, sorry traditionalists, but I don't have an extra 30 minutes to spend in my kitchen milling a pile of herbs to fine bits. (I'm sure it tastes awesome. If you have the time and patience to make it by hand, by all means go for it... and bring me some when you're done!). I chose to use my food processor for this because it is just so darn convenient.
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| Beautiful Basil From Our Herb Garden |
Because pesto is such a simple sauce, it's vital to use the best ingredients you can manage. That means no "parmesan" out of a green-lidded can, kiddos. Use the real stuff. Trust me. Also, look for basil that is young with smaller leaves if possible. I find that when basil matures and flowers it tends to get bitter, which will impact the flavor of your sauce (ick). Finally, take the time to toast the pine nuts. Holy cow do they taste so much better when you toast them!
If you have a pile of basil lying around, or if you just love pesto, please give this a try. It's the best version I've found, and pretty darn simple as well! Enjoy!
Basil Pesto
serves 4
Ingredients
2 cups packed basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or pecorino cheese (yes, the real stuff), plus extra for serving
1 pound dried pasta (I prefer whole grain spaghetti, but use what you like)
Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water while you make the sauce. Reserve some of the cooking liquid before draining.
In a food processor fitted with a steel blade, pulse the basil, garlic and pine nuts until minced. You might have to stop and scrape down the bowl a couple of times if you have some runaways. Through the feed tube, slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the food processor running. Add the parmesan cheese and pulse a few times to incorporate. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Toss together the pesto and pasta until well combined. Add a few splashes of pasta cooking water to help the sauce stick (I know it seems counter-intuitive, but the starchy water is like glue!) and toss again. Portion into serving bowls and top with a little more parmesan cheese. Yum!
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