Pesto RecipeOne of my goals this summer is to keep up with harvesting, so that I reap all of the benefits of our small, backyard garden. We planted quite a bit of basil and it is already big enough to harvest. I have learned that the more leaves you pick, the more they grow. You can harvest it many times - learn more about growing and harvesting basil.

What is the best way to use an abundance of basil? Make pesto, of course!

An awesome benefit to cooking with herbs is that you get an abundance of the green vegetable color profile in a different way than your typical salad or broccoli side dish.  Pesto is a delicious topping for chicken, fish, spaghetti squash, or spiralated zucchini.

This is a quick and easy pesto sauce, using ingredients that you probably have on hand. Make double or even bigger batches when basil is plentiful. The pesto freezes well and I love having the fresh garden taste during the winter. Freeze in ice cube or small muffin cups. Once frozen, empty them into another container and keep in the freezer until needed.

Simple Pesto

Yield: ½ cup pesto

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of packed basil leaves
  • ¼ cup of walnuts (pine nuts, cashews, or another kind of nut works well too)
  • 1-2 chipped garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  •  Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a food processor combine basil, walnuts and spices until blended thoroughly. Pour in olive oil and blend again until mixture has reached desired consistency.

Store in refrigerator for up to one week or freeze for later use.

Enjoy!

Article by: Joelle Kurczodyna, NTP