Basil to Pesto

One of my consistent summer activities has been using the handfuls of basil I take home with me from the garden, and food processing up mass quantities of pesto.  I can look forward to the fall and winter months, knowing that I have a stash of frozen pesto blocks taking up the shelves of my freezer. 

To make the best Pesto, I have heard that one should really use a pestle and mortar to grind the mixture up.  I, unfortunately, do not own either of these things.  I do, however, have a small food processor type machine that works just fine.  While traditional Pesto is composed of basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, and oil there are numerous variants for experimentation.  Any green, hard cheese, or type of nut is pretty much fair game.   I'm currently growing Arugula, and plan on trying that maybe with some Asiago cheese added to the mix.  

Making pesto is one of the easiest and most worthwhile things you can do in a kitchen with a delicious pay off that can easily be stored for a long period of time. There are only a few ingredients, and the process is terribly easy.  The quantities I give in the recipe below are pretty approximate.  I think I measured everything out the first time I made it, but the mixture has never been the same since, and the results are always just as good. 

Pesto:

2 cups fresh basil, packed

1/3 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 medium garlic cloves, minced

Salt and black pepper to taste

Combine the basil and pine nuts in the food processor, mincing it up.  Add the garlic and mix a bit more.  Add the olive oil, a bit at a time, and mix again.  Add the cheese. Mix.  Salt and pepper. Mix.  You probably want to have a spatula near by to scrape the edges during this whole process.  This should make about one cup.

If you want to store it for more than a few days, do so in the freezer in an airtight container.