How to Make Pesto with Fresh Basil, Garlic and Parmesan Cheese
Pesto is one of my favorite cooking ingredients. I love to serve fresh basil pesto with crusty bread and extra virgin olive oil for dipping. I make a killer white pizza using home made pesto instead of tomato sauce. And I absolutely love pesto combined with veggies and pasta - hot or cold, pesto is a sauce from heaven if you like garlic and cheese.
For years I treasured my expensive tiny jars of store-bought pesto until one summer our garden produced an over abundance of basil and I wanted to use it instead of lose it. I decided to try making my own pesto and discovered that It's not difficult at all to make fresh pesto at home if you have a food processor.
You can make a batch of basil pesto fresh to serve right away, or you can whip up a huge batch and save it for months in the freezer. Read on to learn my recipe for fresh basil pesto made from scratch, and how I store pesto to serve all winter long.
Mortar and Pestle, Classic Herbal Grinding Tools
Le Creuset Mortar and Pestle, Cherry
Amazon Price: $27.99 (as of 12/23/2009)
Basil Pesto Recipe
1-1/2 to 2 cups Fresh Basil Leaves, washed and stems removed
2 Cloves Garlic, peeled, pounded and diced
3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 cup Pinola-Pine Nuts or Walnuts
Using a food processor or blender with cutting/mixing blade attachment, chop/pulverize the basil leaves to very fine texture. Scrape down sides a few times during processing to make sure you get all the leaves to near-puree consistency.
Add the pine nuts and garlic and process/pulse until well mixed.
Add the Parmesan cheese and process until the mixture is pureed and thick.
Pour in the EVOO and pulse to mix gently.
Remove from processor and finish mixing oil gently into the puree. Add more or less oil until your pesto has a creamed butter consistency.
Store in a covered container with a light layer film of olive oil over the top to prevent discoloration. Keeps for several days in the refrigerator.
Easy Does It Grinder Makes Freshly Grated Cheese
Grated Parmesan Adds Zing and Saltiness to Pesto
Oxo Good Grips Seal and Store Rotary Grater, White
Amazon Price: $14.99 (as of 12/23/2009)
Add Pesto to Your Recipe After You Finish Sauteing or Stir-Frying
When you add pesto to a stir fry recipe, add it to the other foods after you've browned them and removed them from the heat. Don't cook the pesto or it will lose its fresh green color and flavor.
What's the Yummiest Pesto Dish?
Pesto is so versatile - it can be part of an appetizer, the sauce for a main dish, or just a condiment ingredient in sandwiches, soups or salad dressings.
Food Processor Makes Big Batches of Pesto Easy
Cuisinart DLC-8S 11-Cup Pro Custom 11 Food Processor, White
Amazon Price: $159.99 (as of 12/23/2009)
How to Preserve and Store Fresh Pesto
Store Pesto in the freezer and enjoy it all winter
When you need pesto for a recipe, defrost as many cubes are you need and save the rest of your green garden treasure in the freezer. Frozen cubes of basil pesto will keep at least 6 months - perhaps longer, but we always eat our supply before spring arrives.
Basil Lovers Cookbook - Pesto Manifesto
The Pesto Manifesto: Recipes for Basil and Beyond
Amazon Price: (as of 12/23/2009)
Recommended Pesto Recipes
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Lensmaster Pastiche has been a member since August 12 2007, has rated 1,477 lenses, favorited 531, and has created 126 lenses from scratch. Lee Hansen donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund and Room to Read. This member's top-ranked page is "Clip Art Borders & Frames". See all my lenses
Basil Pesto Lovers Comments - Please Sign My Guestbook
The more garlic the better is my pesto motto.
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Reply
- KarateKatGraphics KarateKatGraphics Apr 21, 2009 @ 5:28 pm
- Mmmm! A classic and a fave. I love how easy it is, and one batch lasts us a couple nights. One of my friends loves pesto on corn-on-the-cob. Ah, summer! Can't wait :)
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Reply
- mulberry mulberry Apr 5, 2009 @ 10:39 am
- Tried out your Garlic Basil Pesto with some pasta today, it was absolutely fabulous. I get overwhelmed by Basil so I went for the light end on that; 1 1/2 cups. Now I'm curious about trying it on a pizza! Thanks for the recipe.
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Reply
- chefkeem chefkeem Apr 4, 2009 @ 11:05 pm
- I like to make pesto with roasted garlic. Tasty lens, blessed by a SquidAngel today. :-)
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Index to Basil Garlic Pesto Recipes
- Mortar and Pestle, Classic Herbal Grinding Tools
- Basil Pesto Recipe
- Easy Does It Grinder Makes Freshly Grated Cheese
- Add Pesto to Your Recipe After You Finish Sauteing or Stir-Frying
- What's the Yummiest Pesto Dish?
- Food Processor Makes Big Batches of Pesto Easy
- How to Preserve and Store Fresh Pesto
- Basil Lovers Cookbook - Pesto Manifesto
- Recommended Pesto Recipes
- Try These Recipes With Your Fresh Pesto
- I Love Cooking But I'm Not a Slave to the Kitchen
- Basil Pesto Lovers Comments - Please Sign My Guestbook
- Love This Pesto Lens?
- I Love to Be Creative
- Top Chef Blogs
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