Basil Pesto - Revisiting a Fave

Well, our early spring and lots of rain here in north Texas has meant that my basil plants are beyond thriving. So as I prepare to make another batch of basil pesto, I thought I'd revisit my original post from 2012.

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Mindy here, and my basil plant has been growing like crazy. So I asked myself, "What are you going to do with all that basil?" I mean, I can't eat bruschetta every day.

Or can I?

Hmm....

No, I can't. Too much bread.

So I'm at the grocery the other day, reaching for a jar of pesto when it hit me. I could make my own pesto.

I came home and harvested a good bunch of the leaves. I needed 2 "packed" cups. I soaked them in water for a few minutes to kill anything that might have decided to take up residence on the plant. Flash flood. They never knew what hit them.

Then I strained and rinsed a couple more times before throwing them into my salad spinner to eek out all the water. This worked wonderfully, I might add.

Now for the rest of the ingredients.

• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (love these things)
• 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• salt and pepper

Combine the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor. Doesn't this look pretty?

Pulse until coarsely chopped.

Add 1/2 cup of the oil and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I wish you could smell this.

Now if I were using this right away, I'd add the rest of the oil and 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesean cheese. But since this is for later, I'll put it into an air-tight container, drizzle the remaining oil over the top and put it in the freezer. It'll keep for up to three months. Great for those quickie meals. When I'm ready to use it, I simply thaw, stir in the freshly grated cheese, and toss with some warm pasta. Maybe top with some chicken breast or shrimp, tomatoes, a few capers....

Easy peasy.

And good for you, too.

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I do love being able to pick things from my backyard, however, I tend to be a bit of a fair-weathered gardener. Translation, I hate weeding in the heat. Of course, living in the burbs, there isn't a lot of room for a real garden. I used to think that, once we moved to the ranch, I'd resurrect my FIL's garden and grow all that neat stuff like Ruthy shares, but I don't know. I mean, it's not like living rural is suddenly going to turn me into a master gardener. It's one of those things you need to have a passion for. Although, I am passionate about food.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

So how does your garden grow? What's your favorite herb/vegetable?