Presto Pesto (and other ways to use basil)
Comments Off on Presto Pesto (and other ways to use basil)This is a great time of year to shop at farmers’ markets. The up side – fresh local produce, meeting the folks that grow your food, and you get to be outdoors.
The down side – most of us tend to buy too much.
But I have a couple of suggestions. First – if you can, go with a friend. I did that last Friday. We got a great deal on peaches (because we were purchasing 2 baskets) and we shared a basket of cherries. I encouraged her to buy beets because they are so amazing when they are roasted with rosemary. But I was on my own with the watermelon and the huge bunch of basil.
So what does one do with a huge bunch of basil. Well Friday night I used some when I made bruschetta. I made Calabrese salad. I made it into a dressing that was very complementary of the peaches (also from the farmers’ market) in the salad.
Salad dressing for Peaches and Peppers on mixed greens.
Juice of ½ lemon
Equal amount of olive oil
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
Just a little agave (or maple syrup – I like to add a little sweetness when there is fruit in my green salad)
Freshly ground pepper
OK – great – I had used a lot of basil. But there was still a lot of basil left. So before the basil could totally wilt and eventually be tossed in the compost, I decided to do something with it. Voila Presto Pesto
This was really fast to make – honest! I removed the leaves from the basil stems and washed them and then spun them in a salad spinner. I had about 2 cups when I pressed them into the measuring cup.
No pine nuts – no worries. I substituted pecans (you could also use walnuts) If you do use either pecans or walnuts, pulse them in the food processor BEFORE adding the garlic and basil.
Fresh garlic, check! EVOO, check!, pepper, salt, parmesan – yes
Presto Pesto
1/3 cup of pecans – pulse in food processor into fine “crumbs” then add
2 cups of fresh basil
3 cloves garlic
Pulse
Slowly pour in ½ cup olive oil (Extra Virgin Olive Oil – use the good stuff!)
Scrape into a bowl
Mix in ½ cup Parmesan (if you want vegan pesto – substitute with nutritional yeast)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Presto! – you have pesto
Use it with your favourite pasta, with watermelon or tomatoes, spread it on crackers or on slices of cucumber. Really, the options are endless!
If you want to freeze it for later – top with a little more olive oil. Then you can enjoy the tastes of summer anytime.