Menu Monday: PESTO!

What do you do when you have a basil plant that looks like this?



You make pesto!

4 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves, big stems discarded, rinsed & dried
Salt to taste
2 cloves garlic crushed
4 Tbsp pine nuts (or walnuts if you want to save a few bucks), lightly toasted in a dry skillet
3/4-1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

1. Combine basil, salt, garlic, nuts & about 1/2 the oil in a food processor or blender.




2. Process, stopping to scrape down the sides of the container & adding the rest of the oil gradually (I only used about 1/2 of the remaining oil.) Add more oil if you want it thinner. Store in the fridge for a week or two.




3. Stir in the Parmesan by hand just before serving.



This turned out so good for my first try. I just served it cold on noodles. Do you have any other yummy ways to serve pesto?

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