Pesto recipe

[plantoneonme]

Hey Patti, I just got a chance to see your video on Farmer's Almanac and wondered if you had a recipe for your pesto. I have never made this before and it looks so easy to do. If no recipe just abouts are ok too.

Kim

[Cynthia]

I just made pesto last night. I have seen a lot of recipes on the internet - epicurious, etc. They are all about the same but it always comes down to your own preferences. Here is what I did:

in an 11 cup food processor I put:

4 garlic cloves - minced
then
fill processor bowl with basil leaves, don't pack down but bowl should be full

process until minced

Then add 1/2 - 3/4 cup pecans, pine nuts, walnuts, or your favorite nut. Pine nuts are traditional but we really enjoy pecans more
and
1/2 - 3/4 cup grated parmesan
and
olive oil

process until smooth - you'll need to adjust oil to make it a smooth paste

Pesto is rich. You are likely to have leftover pesto. If you read recipes, they say not to freeze this but I have found that it freezes well - I put it in snack sized bags.

variations:
I LOVE to make pesto and add chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. A little chipotle goes a long way - but it is delicious and spicy.

You can also make pestos with other herbs or combinations of herbs. You can omit the cheese or nuts. You can add more or less garlic depending on your personal taste, etc.

When serving: I cook a pound of pasta and add pesto to taste - it is really helpful to add about 1 cup of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to this to aid in mixing and help the pesto coat the pasta.

I also offer additional pesto on the side because some folks like a LOT of pesto on their pasta

Finally, because this is a raw sauce, I use the very best quality ingredients I can afford.

If you decide to make some, let me know how it turns out.

[plantoneonme]

Thank you for the information Cynthia. I wish I had time to make some right now. Unfortunately, I already plucked my basil and froze...wonder if I thawed if it would work. Kim

[gardengirl72]

I have a pesto recipe on my cooking page:

http://www.gardengirltv.com/food_and_cooking_home_raised_baked_chicken_garden_ rice_rabbit_in_wine_sauce.html

[AbbeyLehman]

+1 on the richness of pesto! It's actually difficult to get my clan to eat it as a pasta sauce....I usually add a couple dollops to a basic cream sauce (or white sauce) to mellow it out, then serve it with parmesan on top....They like it better that way and it lasts longer, too.

[Cynthia]

I did make a bunch of pesto with the remaining basil - I did some taste testing and found that we prefer to have our nuts toasted before adding.

I think the idea behind pesto is fresh and raw, but the toasting really adds a nice depth.

Also, I have a friend who makes a pesto using roasted anaheim green chilis, cilantro, and almonds - yum!

[gardengirl72]

Toasting the nuts is a brilliant idea! I will do it for sure.

[Garden Green]

This sounds like a great recipe, I can't wait to give it a try!