Pesto

~Amanda~

I think most people would agree that the majority of foods taste better when made from scratch and I truly believe that there are some basic things that everybody should know how to make from scratch, and one of them is pesto! There is absolutely nothing comparable to fresh, homemade pesto. You can buy pesto in stores in jars in the Italian isle or in the refrigerated section, but I would only recommend doing this when fresh basil is unavailable and you absolutely cannot make your own. Making homemade pesto only takes a few minutes to do, it’s super easy, you only need five ingredients, and it makes a world of difference in the flavor of the end product you get compared to a store-bought one. It will completely change your life and you will be left wondering why you haven’t been doing this all along. 

Our parents recently moved into a new house with lots of land that they are using for many different things, one of which is an amazing garden that our dad planted for all of us to grow fresh vegetables and herbs in. Just recently everything has started coming in and there is SOOOO much basil, and all that basil means lots of pesto! This is so exciting to me and I can truly say that I have never had pesto as good as this pesto I made with the fresh basil from the garden. There is just something about going outside and picking the leaves yourself and instantly turning that into a homemade pesto. The flavors are so fresh, vibrant, and incredible. Obviously we don’t all have our own gardens though, so you can always buy fresh basil at the grocery store… they even sell it in giant bunches still in the dirt so it’s almost as good as freshly picked!

This pesto recipe only calls for 5 ingredients (plus salt and pepper); basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, and olive oil. To make it, first place the basil and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse to combine. If you don’t have a food processor, you can always make it in a blender; the end product is pretty similar, just not AS smooth of a finished product as you’d get with a food processor. Next, add in the parmesan cheese and garlic and pulse again to combine. Finally, turn on the food processor and add the olive oil while it’s running until the pesto reaches your desired consistency. Turn off and mix in the salt and pepper. You can store the pesto in the refrigerator in an airtight container with a little olive oil drizzled over the top (to prevent air from getting to it and browning it). I would only store it for a few days at most; it’s best just to eat it right away while it’s fresh and green! I love to eat it as a sauce on pastas (like on our Fresh Veggie Pasta or Chicken Pesto Penne), smothered on top of grilled chicken, or as a spread in wraps and sandwiches. No matter how you eat it, I guarantee you will never want to buy store-bought again!