Creamy Basil Pesto

The basil plant was definitely a good investment on my part. Basil, a fantastic herb to use in many Italian and Vietnamese dishes, is a ‘must have’ in my kitchen. My fresh basil plant has resulted in a creamy homemade Pesto! (Fun fact: Pesto is one of my favorite sauces)

The best part about Pesto is that it is easily adjustable to fit any person’s palate. Want it saltier? Add more salt! Want it creamier? Add more cheese or walnuts! It’s so flexible and easy, I love it. I also love taking photos of it. Such a pretty shade of green, wouldn’t you agree?

Pesto goes well on pizza, pasta, bread, and vegetables. I love tossing it with some whole wheat noodles or zucchini pasta. It’s your choice. I have some leftover from my pasta and I’m thinking of spreading it over slices of sourdough bread. I suppose I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to get the bread and try it.

Now, to the ‘how to’ of this recipe.  FYI you’ll need a food processor to make this. You can try using a blender, but it won’t work as well. With  Simply Recipes‘ help, I was able to figure out what I needed to concoct this.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of packed down fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (Trader Joe’s is usually where I get a whole bag, and you can add more if you want to)
• 1/3 cup walnuts
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Toss the basil, garlic, and walnuts into the food processor and process until it is pasty.
2. Add the cheese and process until it is well mixed with the other ingredients. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula and then start the food processor again. While it is running, slowly add the olive oil (if it looks a bit thick, you can add a bit more olive oil, but don’t add too much)
3. Mix in salt and pepper to taste. It’ll taste best chilled.

    

 Voila, the finished product!

Zucchini Pesto Pasta will be coming right up in a few days. The pesto goes well with the zucchini pasta when cold, but I still prefer it with whole wheat pasta or on top of a slice of warm cheese pizza…on a whole wheat crust and vegan cheese of course…

Hope everyone’s Wednesday went well. Hang in there, Friday is almost here people!