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Good morning friends! I have been busy this week and one of the things I have been doing is making things in the kitchen with the fresh herbs and vegetables from our community yoga garden.
Pesto is one of the easiest and tastiest things you can make this summer; you can even make it if you don’t have a garden, simply buy basil from the grocery store for $3.99 and voila fresh sauce for vegetables, pasta and pizza.
Garden Fresh Basil Walnut Pesto
Ingredients
6 cloves of peeled garlic
1/2 cup of toasted walnuts
4 cups of packed fresh washed, dried, basil leaves
2 cups of packed fresh, washed, dried parsley leaves
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup olive oil
Directions
In a small skillet over medium heat, heat the garlic in the SKINS about 5 minutes, make sure to shake the pan often. You will see brown spots appear on the skins. Remove from heat and let cool a bit then remove the skins.
In the same skillet toast the nuts until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Make sure to shake the pan and to watch the nuts so that they do not burn.
To make the pesto, place the garlic, walnuts, lemon juice, cheese, basil, parsley and the 3/4 cup of the oil into the food processor or blender, blend until smooth, add the last 1/4 cup oil thru the chute at the end.
Taste the pesto and with salt and pepper.
Serve over pasta, grilled vegetables, on bread, sandwiches and more.
If you are storing this pesto to use at a later date pour oil over the top of the pesto after you place into a jar otherwise the pesto will turn brown. You can also freeze pesto for use later.
Do you have a favorite pesto recipe? If so please share! Have a great day!
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$3.99 for a BUNCH OF BASIL are you serious?!!!
THAT BLOWS ME AWAY!I have no idea what it is here in CALIFORNIA but I AM ON IT AND WILL CHECK RIGHT AWAY!WE grow our own so I rarely buy it!
YES, we make PESTO or THE ITALIAN does for THE YEAR!IT FREEZES BEAUTIFULLY!
He does not TOAST the walnuts nor the PINE NUTS.
NO PARSLEY EITHER.
GOOD TIP ABOUT THE OLIVE OIL ON TOP for the NO BROWN LOOK!
HAPPY JULY FIRST!
CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!!!????
XX
My recipe is similar except I use pine nuts (but have tried walnuts – excellent and less expensive!). I don't toast the nuts, and the garlic I just peel and chop and throw into the food processor raw along with the basil. I don't add parsley. Good quality freshly grated parmigiana reggiano of course, and EVOO, plus black pepper and a little salt.
Secret to keeping pesto green is adding the lemon juice – a couple of teaspoons, plus the oil on top in the container. To freeze I put my pesto into snack-size Ziplocs, squeeze out the air, seal and pack flat in the freezer – they stay green all through the Winter months when I use for soups etc. I love pesto and grow a lot of basil this time of year!
Mary x
P.S. Your pesto pix are awesome and the rigatoni looks delicious. I love simple pasta dishes without red sauce!
Mary
Love pesto and there is a difference between the ready made and fresh…especialy when making it the armoa is killer! A pesto looks fab in a white kitchen!
https://littleblackdomicile.com/2018/06/22/not-the-ordinary-black-and-white-kitchen/