Basil Harvest!

   Things have been going well in the kitchen.....I have finally started to get settled and feel as though I actually live in this new place.  It always amazes me how easy it is to let nutrition go when everything else is demanding your time and attention.....and what the heck anyway - I am on summer vacation! 

   One of the joys of the new place is having a yard!  I have never resided in a place where I had a yard to call my very own!  It is nice to call all the shots and landscape etc. but every once in a while I wish I was a youngster again and could enjoy the freedom of picking a carrot right out of the garden and washing it off with the hose.....why is it that carrots always seem to taste better when washed off with a hose? 

    I have been absolutely amazed by the progress of the basil in my garden.  I have what many would consider to be a black thumb as I usually end up killing plants.  It is not all my fault, I just love them too much with water and in some instances more trimming than is necessary.  But not this basil....it just thrives.  I enjoy the peacefulness and the slowness of having to go inside and fill up the watering can - no hose outside.  It is amazing - the simple pleasures in life. 

   Last year was the first time I made pesto from scratch......it was so darn good!  I even impressed myself.....but it was all about the ingredients.  Fresh basil from the farmers market, cheese from a local dairy, olive oil from Italy, roasted pine nuts, and a lot of love.  I even ended up canning the pesto and was pleased to have it last until around January.  This year I would like to make a little more - as I was shamed to see some store bough pesto placed in the fridge....for shame!

  
  Pesto really has to be one of the easiest things to make - if of course you have an electric chopper.....thank you favorite brother-in-law!  I started by roasting the pine nuts in the oven - on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees for about 7-10 minutes.  This can be scary as whenever roasting nuts in the oven they go from perfect to burned in about 30 seconds.  So I always suggest keeping an eye on them - thank goodness for the oven light!  Pine nuts are ridiculously expensive......even more incentive to keep an eye on them!  The flavor is out of this world.....so rich and buttery......what I also love is that whenever you roast a nut the flavor is amplified and the oils infuse and really result in a fabulous texture.  After the nuts cool I zip them up in the chopper and set aside.  For me pesto is all about tasting so there are no real measurements I can give you....make it the way you like it!

     As you can see I like to add everything at once!  Basil, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil (I use cold pressed, apparently that's better....I have so much to learn), parmesan cheese (I happen to have sliced pieces, shredded works well too), garlic.  Here's were it can go either way....I have used fresh garlic in the past - be careful it can be hot......garlic powder is an option as well......but this time I was lucky to have some roasted garlic sitting on the counter saying...."use me!  use me!".....so I did.  It was from the evening I roasted the chicken.....I have to admit that one thing I love to have on hand is roasted garlic!  Last but not least salt and pepper to taste......then just mix away and keep tasting!  I had a slice of bread that I had ready for tasting....I probably only used about 1/4 of it.....but trust me you will want to keep tasting and adjust.....the only thing I would have changed for this is having more basil!  I still have pine nuts left over.....

  What I love about pesto is the versatility of having this on hand.  It goes well with pasta......sometimes I have added it to a creamy white sauce for an extra bit of flavor profile....or just on its own is nice.....usually I go for some kind of pasta like bow-tie or something with lots of crevices to hang on to the pesto!  I have also used it as a spread on sandwiches.....hello leftover chicken! 

PESTO:
basil
pine nuts
extra virgin olive oil
parmesan cheese
garlic
salt & pepper


Enjoy!