Pesto on the porch

I also schlepped the ingredients out to the porch to take a nicely lit photo for this post, but I think it was worth it. :) In a recent CSA bountiful box o' vegetables we received a bunch of sweet, licorice smelling basil which made Tyler remark how he would love if I had basil perfume. Mmm. Anyways, we decided to make a big batch of basil pesto for dinner accompanied with some red wine and long lasting pesto breath that seemed to carry through into the next day. (A little less garlic next time, I think).

Pesto is at it's best when it is made with fresh, high quality ingredients. Which means I carefully removed the *special* olive oil from the cupboard, thoroughly cleaned the fresh picked basil and finely grated the supreme parmesan cheese. It sort of made me feel like I was prepping for an elegant evening. ;)

Don't they make a pretty family?

Let's get the pasta dressed already!

Basil Pesto Recipe (a la Marci)

3 handfuls of fresh basil

1/2 handful of pine nuts

1/2 handful of grated parmesan cheese (make extra if you like to sprinkle it on pasta)

1 clove of garlic

Pinch of salt

Squeeze of a lemon

Dollup of butter

Several drizzles of olive oil (around 1/2 cup)

Add garlic, pine nuts and salt to food processer, and blend. Next add 1/2 of basil and olive oil, blend and then add the rest until a smooth consistency. Lastly, take a squeeze at half a lemon, spoon in a dollup of butter and toss in the parmesan. Blend. Taste and add more salt, cheese or oil to your liking.
The pesto should be a nice, thick, but slightly runny consistency. Mix with angel hair pasta and top with extra parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

I enjoyed mine on the lovely porch with a glass of pinot

I have made different basil recipes in the past, with various expansions and slightly different ingredients, but I feel it is the freshness and amount of each ingredient you add that makes the pesto your favorite recipe. So, I have skimmed back on the garlic and added more cheese than most recipes and in the end I always end up tossing in a little more of this or that to get it just right. Make it your own and you will always enjoy the meal.

Bon appetit!

Marci