August 2, 2006

Pesto Factory


It has hit that point in the summer when I feel extremely guilty (and unhappy, to be honest) if I don't spend at least an hour in the garden on the weekend and make at least one jar of basil pesto. Last summer, including all the "pesto parties" I still had about 9 jars left in the freezer by the end of the season. A bit much I know. It was handy in March when I could still whip up a quick dinner for 8 if I needed to but, how often do you need to?

The basil part is pretty easy but keeping the house stocked with garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and lemons or limes (my only addition to the good ol' Joy of Cooking recipe) can be a lot of work. For olive oil I recommend buying one of those 110 ounce cans so you never run out.

Oh and if you have friends with nut allergies, sunflower seeds work really well instead of pine nuts although they don't get that lovely "who's-baking-something-wonderful-in-here" smell when you toast them.

Mmmmmm Pesto.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey BES--do you use a blender or a food processor. Pesto-making is an exercise in frustration for me. I think I'm using the wrong tools...your jersey buddy

Black Eyed Susan said...

I use a blender. It does get stuck a few times in the process but I just stir a little with a wooden spoon and its ok. If its really slow going I add more oil. Hope this helps.