I’ve been overrun by basil in the garden this year – a huge improvement over last year when my basil barely grew at all.
I’ve just been using it fresh, but today I finally got around to making pesto sauce.
This is just about the easiest thing ever. Really. If you like pesto, but have never tried making it, you must give it a try. Of course, having nice fresh basil is the key, so it’s best (and most cost-effective) if you’ve grown it yourself, or can beg/borrow/steal some from a friend or neighbor. Once you have all the ingredients, you’re just a couple of minutes and a food processor away from yumminess.
I like to spoon it into ice cube trays and freeze it, then pop out the cubes and put them in a freezer container. One “cube” is about 1 tablespoon. Then I can just grab a cube or two whenever I need a bit of pesto. It’s great for adding to pasta, or sauces such as marinara or Alfredo sauce (no need to defrost the cube first – just heat it in the sauce). Or if I want a little dollop of pesto as a garnish for some grilled salmon, it doesn’t take long to defrost. One recipe is just enough to fill up this ice cube tray.
Pesto Sauce
3 cups packed fresh basil leaves (no big stems, just the leaves)
2-4 cloves garlic depending on how garlicky you like it.
½ cup good-quality olive oil
¼ cup pine nuts (I buy the big bags at Costco and keep them in the freezer)
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process into a smooth paste.
That’s it! See? Easy as pie pesto.
And if you aren’t big on basil? Try this wonderful Sage Pesto instead. You can leave out the Parmesan cheese for a vegan version.
Sage Pesto
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
½ cup packed fresh sage leaves
¼ cup fresh parsley
½ cup pine nuts, toasted (or walnuts, if you prefer)
½ tsp. salt
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice (½ lemon)
½ c grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
Combine all ingredients in food processor, process until well blended.
Very nice on fish, sautéed summer squash, or pasta. I also just spread some on crackers.
Cabled Sheep lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she enjoys knitting, cooking, and munching veggies out of the garden. She never tires of Utah's glorious landscape.
yum. must try.
Yum!
What a great idea! My sage is way more plentiful than the basil this year, I’ll have to try that one.
This is funny – my husband was filling our ice cube trays with fresh pesto when I got home from work last night. We make it without the cheese to freeze, then add the cheese when we make the finished dish. And? I have a humongous sage plant that I barely do anything with – now I know what I’ll make!
I’m overrun with basil too and have been bringing some to my work pal. Haven’t made pesto yet this year because I still have cubes from last year in the freezer!