Traditional Basil Pesto

basil pesto

If you grow basil in your garden, at some point in the summer you’ve got way more than you can eat in salads or on sandwiches or even steeped into tea. That’s when you know it’s time to make pesto. Pesto can be made from just about anything leafy and green, but basil is what it's typically spun from. We stir this pesto into pasta (hot or cold), spread it on sandwiches, and add it to fish or chicken dishes. Any way you can imagine it is a great way to eat pesto!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
  • 2 cups packed basil leaves
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions

  1. Place walnuts, garlic, and sea salt into the food processor. Pulse for a few minutes.
  2. Add basil. Process until your ingredients become a thick paste. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  3. With the processor running, pour olive oil through the feeding tube. 
  4. Add Parmesan and pulse until all ingredients are mixed together well.
  5. Serve over hot pasta or spread on homemade pizza crust or atop crusty bread as a sandwich condiment.
Photos by Aaron Spicer Photography.
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