a recipe // basil pesto

a few weeks ago one of my students gave me the best present.  a whole bunch of basil!  she said that she had a tons of it growing in her back yard and that she was happy to give some of it to a good home.  lucky me, right?  as soon as my hands touched those bright leafy greens i knew pesto was in my future. i have never made it before and was intrigued to try it out.  i have had store bought pesto many, many times and let me just say, it doesn't come close to the homemade kind.  it's like the difference between eating a sushi in a package from the freezer section to having it made fresh right before your very eyes. seriously, there's that much of a difference.

here is the simple recipe i used to make my pesto which i ended up putting in ice cube trays and freezing for quick-fix meals throughout this busy work week.  

ingredients: 

• 1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts (i used a bit of both)
• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic (8 cloves)
• 5 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan 

to prepare, place the nuts and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. process for 15 seconds. add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. with the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. add the parmesan and puree for a minute. use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

this week, we enjoyed our homemade pesto on some flat bread with prosciutto and camembert cheese.  it was do die for.  enjoy the recipe!