Basil Pesto

It’s been a while since I’ve made fresh pesto, and I know it’s always such a perfect, light, and tasty sauce! This basil pesto was from Food & Wine 2009 Annual Cookbook (by Shea Gallante). Pesto is a super easy sauce, and your fresh ingredients make this simple recipe unbeatable.  The only prep work involved is toasting your pine nuts and grating the cheese (tough stuff)… (OR You could buy grated cheese, but what’s the fun in that??)

Here’s what you need: 

Basil Pesto Ingredients: Pine nuts, basil leaves, garlic cloves, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, extra-virgin olive oil Salt

In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium heat. Stir for about 5 minutes until they start to brown just a bit. 

Remove from heat to cool.

Add basil, garlic, cheese and toasted pine nuts in a food processor or blender until finely chopped.

While running, add your olive oil and keep blending until smooth and incorporated. Season with salt.

Serve with anything. I taste-tested with a slice of bread, but actually made pesto this time for a Chicken Breasts with a Parmesan Crumb Topping recipe from a new cookbook called Step By Step Cook’s Encyclopedia, pg 110. It called for pesto, so I used this basil recipe I saw in Food & Wine 2009 Annual Cookbook.  (The Pesto recipe is also published in Promiscuous Food: Recipes that Pair with Many Wines, April 2008).

Pasta, breads, pizzas, and chicken dishes pair well with pesto. Here’s a handy guide from Food Network for 50 things to cook with pesto to give you plenty more ideas. I will post the chicken recipe from tonight shortly!

Also, I’m planning on having a ‘monthly-or-so’ e-mail list for those of you who would like to keep up with my recipes. I’d much appreciate it! Here’s the link to sign up and get on the e-mail list! Thanks!

Basil Pesto

2015-02-20 19:57:55

Yields 3

Fresh pesto makes any dish delicious! Use it as a pasta sauce, bread dip, chicken seasoning or pizza 'sauce.'

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Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

5 min

Total Time

15 min

Prep Time

10 min

Cook Time

5 min

Total Time

15 min

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. pine nuts

2 cups basil leaves

2 garlic cloves, smashed

6 Tbsp. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated

6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Salt, to season

Instructions

1. In a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over medium heat. Stir for about five minutes until they start to brown just a bit. Remove from heat to cool.
2. Add basil, garlic, cheese and toasted pine nuts in a food processor or blender until finely chopped. While running, add your olive oil and keep blending until smooth and incorporated. Season with salt.

Notes

1. *Can be frozen for 1 month.

By Shea Gallante

Adapted from Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2009

Adapted from Food & Wine Annual Cookbook 2009

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