Fresh Basil Pesto

One of my favorite things about my garden is the abundance of basil it has produced.  We have been making tons of pesto, using a recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Our Best Bites.  Due to the OUTRAGEOUS cost of pine nuts from the grocery store ($43/lb), we ended up buying some pine nuts in bulk from Amazon ($16/lb) and are storing them in the freezer. 


INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 – 3 C basil leaves, gently packed
3/4 C fresh Parmesan cheese
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 C pinenuts, toasted
1/2-3/4C extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
a few cracks pepper


DIRECTIONS
Place everything but olive oil in a food processor. (For the salt, start with 1/4 t and add the rest at the end. The final amount really depends on the saltiness of your cheese, so give it a taste first.) Give it a few pulses until things are chopped up.

Slowly pour in olive oil while processor is running until you reach the consistency you want. It’s gorgeous and green and perfectly wonderful! Eat it right away or store in the fridge or freezer.

I also highly recommend their Cheesy Garlic-Herb bread recipe.  I made two loaves of my artisan bread - one for eating with fresh pesto right away and the other to store and make the herb bread the following night. YUMMY!