Basil Pesto

I love pine nuts. I love Basil. I love parmesan cheese. I love olive oil. How could I not love Basil Pesto?? Its one of my favorite sauces to accompany pasta or a good turkey sandwich. Only problem... A 3 or 4 oz. jar of basil pesto ain't cheap, and it doesn't go far!

the culprit:

Look at the difference in volume when I make my own?? WOW!

So, I decided that I might as well venture out and make some Pesto. I used Ina Garten's recipe, but added a few of my own adjustments. I will give you her recipe and then add my changes at the end.

Basil Pesto

1/4 Cup Walnuts

1/4 Cup Pine Nuts

3 TBSP Minced Garlic, about 8 or 9 cloves

5 Cups Basil Leaves, packed firmly

1 tsp. Kosher Salt

1 tsp. Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1 Cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated

Place Nuts and garlic in a food processor and pulse until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the basil, salt, and pepper & pulse again. With the motor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube and mix well. Add the parmesan cheese and puree for 1 minute longer. serve pesto or store in fridge or freezer. **You can freeze small cubes of pesto in an ice cube tray and then remove to ziplock bags once frozen. I typically can't use a whole batch of pesto in one recipe, so freezing them is a great alternative!

***Ok, so I altered a few things. I ended up using an additional TBSP of Pine Nuts, an 1/8 cup more Parmesan, and only 1 1/4 Cups Olive Oil. I then threw a little more Kosher Salt in. You will just need to try it and adjust taste to your liking. Next time, I will use a clove less of the Garlic as well! Delicious-ness! :)