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Basil Pesto

Source of Recipe

From "The Tailgater's Cookbook" by David Joachim


Recipe Introduction

"Here's another all-purpose spread, topping, and sauce. Spoon it over grilled salmon. Make it the sauce for pizza, or use it as a sandwich spread. Sure, you could buy the jarred stuff, but homemade is so much better. Pesto takes less than 5 minutes to make and it keeps frozen for months. I make it in August or September when fresh basil is easy to find. Then I just freeze it in a tub and scoop out whatever I need."

List of Ingredients

◦  2 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
◦  10 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
◦  2 cups grated imported Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
◦  ¾ cup pine nuts
◦  1 tsp salt
◦  ¼ tsp ground black pepper
◦  1 cup extra virgin olive oil


Recipe

Before You Go:
Put everything but oil in a food processor. Blend until finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of processor bowl; then add ¾ cup of oil and blend to a loose paste, about 20 seconds, scraping bowl as necessary. For a more runny pesto, blend in remaining oil, 1 tablespoon at a time, until thinned how you like it. Scrape into two small airtight containers and chill up to 1 week or freeze up to 1 year. You'll rarely need 2 cups of pesto at a time, so two containers allow you to carry just 1 cup at a time.

When You Get There:
If frozen, use a melon baller or spoon to scrape out the amount you need; small pieces will melt quickly when they meet hot foods. Or thaw and remove from cooler 20 minutes before using as a spread or dip.

Neighborly Tip:
If you'll only use a small amount of pesto at a time, drop the prepared pesto in 1-tablespoon blobs onto wax paper-lined cookie sheets. Freeze until solid, then pop off the blobs and seal in a zipper-lock bag. That way you have pre-measured 1-tablespoon amounts ready to go.


Makes about 2¼ cups