8/27/10

BASIL OVERLOAD

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Basil is so cheap right now it's hard to decide what to do with it, but in the spirit of preparing for the winter I figured I should freeze (in mass amounts) one of my favorite foods: pesto.

If you have been living a very terrible life and have never made pesto before don't worry because it is so simple. Yesterday I made a large quantity in the food processor, but I have also used small blending attachments for my immersion blender, a mortar and pestle, and I have pre-chopped and then mixed in a bowl -- all approaches worked just fine. The ratio depends on your own tastes but a good starting point is:

-1 large bunch (like one of the two shown above) basil
-juice of half a lemon
-1-2 garlic cloves
-1/3 cup olive oil (more or less as necessary)
-1-2 Tbsp lightly roasted pine nuts
-3-4 Tbsp roasted walnuts (optional, but you should really add them, they are delicious and nutritious and a staple in parts of Italy. I like to add them at the end so they are a bit bigger and crunchier)
-salt and pepper
-Parmesan, finely grated (optional)
(The amount created in my food processor below was from using three and a half bunches of basil)

Then you could make a meal something like this one, or you could use it on potatoes, or on sandwiches, or on top of soups instead of cream/yogurt. Or with poached eggs for breakfast....
...excuse me please.

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