Pesto

As summer came to an end, we had so much basil leftover in the garden that the only logical thing to do was make lots of beautifully simple pesto. The hardest part is picking, cleaning and tearing off the leaves. 

There are many variations and you can adjust the ingredients to your liking. Start out with about 2 cups of leaves, around a quarter cup of both pine nuts and Parmigiano-Reggiano, and a clove of garlic. 

Blend the ingredients in a food processor until a thick paste forms. 

Drizzle some olive oil through the feed tube and pulse for a few more seconds. 

Add some salt and pepper and then proceed to spread pesto atop all edible surfaces.  

For later use, add a layer of oil to pesto and store in a container in the refrigerator for a week. You can also freeze it for a taste of summer in the cold months ahead. 

Do you have any pesto variations or recipes?