Pesto!
This recipe comes from the beloved Sunset magazine, but there’s nothing super original about it. It’s pretty much just classic pesto, but man, I hope to never open my fridge and not have this pesto in it. Now that I have a food processor, I feel unstoppable, free to eat pesto every day! Using a food processor, this recipe takes about 5-10 minutes to complete. As always, it’s way better to make these things at home than buying jars from the grocery store, and definitely better than ordering something involving a restaurant-made pesto sauce. You can control the amount of salt added, and know that nothing unnecessary like cream has made its way into the sauce. On with the recipe!
- 1/2 cup basil leaves
- 2 or 3 peeled garlic cloves (the original recipe calls for 4-6, but that seems like overkill to me)
- a tablespoon of romano or parmesan cheese (this is totally optional; I have made it with and without the cheese, and while I like it a little better with the cheese, it’s still delicious without. Also, the recipe calls for 1/3 cup of cheese, but that much is not really necessary, unless you want it, then go to town)
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Whirl everything in a food processor or blender, or if you don’t have either, pound the crap out of it with a mortar and pestle, and then take your amazingly buff arms to the store to buy a food processor.
