We planted three basil plants in our herb garden this spring, and we’ve enjoyed adding basil to our Get Cheffy Herb Roasted Chicken, pizzas, salads, and bruschettas throughout the summer. The first frost hit our region a few days ago, so we harvested our plants and turned them into the classic Italian sauce, Pesto.
FOR THE PESTO:
- 2-3 Cups Basil leaves, rinsed
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese, cubed
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1 to 1.5 Cups Olive Oil
- 1/4 Cup Toasted Pine Nuts
1.Begin by taking your cubes of parmesan and adding them to a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process your parmesan cheese cubes until finely ground (15-30 seconds). Take a large skillet over medium heat, and toast your pine nuts slowly over medium heat, stirring frequently, until light brown alongside the edges of the pine nuts (4-6 minutes). Remove the toasted pine nuts from the skillet, and set aside.
2.Bring a large stockpot half filled with water to a boil. While your water comes to a boil, fill a large mixing bowl with ice and add one to two cups water to the ice to create an ice bath. Once your stockpot has come to a boil, drop all of your pesto leaves into the hot water for 10 seconds. Remove the leaves quickly, and drop them into the bowl with the ice bath. Allow to cool completely (1-2 minutes). Add your blanched basil leaves, lemon juice, garlic and toasted pine nuts to your food processor. Process all ingredients together for 5-10 seconds and, with the processor still running, begin to slowly add your olive oil through the feeding tube. You can make your pesto thinner or thicker by stopping the processor periodically, scraping down the sides of the mixing bowl, and checking the consistency. Continue to process and add more oil until you have a homogenous mixture with no large pieces of basil displayed. Store in mason jars or other non-reactive containers in the fridge for 30 days or freeze for up to 4 months.
GET CHEFFY TIP!– Basil pesto, or “Pesto Genovese” can really be made with any hard cheese, and modified with any number of herbs you may want to add. You can Get Cheffy in other ways by omitting the basil completely and adding other ingredients like Sun Dried tomatoes and Olives. Dress pasta, spread on crostini, or use as a dip.
Get Cheffy: with James 