I rarely buy fresh basil. I don't feel like we go through it fast enough to justify buying a big container at Trader Joes. Since our basil plants are currently dead, or sleeping, or whatever you call a plant in the wintertime, I decided to splurge and buy the large container at Trader Joes so I could make caprese salad. After making the salad I had a TON of basil left. Almost 2 cups of basil. The best thing I could think of to make with the leftover basil was pesto. I didn't want it to go bad and homemade pesto can last a while in the fridge. I keep mason jars on hand for instances like this one and I was excited to make a zippy delicious pesto to try in new recipes.
Pesto (for people who don't buy pine nuts)
* Traditional pesto has pine nuts but I'm a cheapo and don't like buying them. If you are rolling in cash, feel free to change the hazelnuts to pine nuts.
2c fresh basil, no stems
1/4c hazelnuts or pine nuts (Blake calls them filberts. weirdo, right?)
1/4c shredded parmesan (to save time, I just cut it into small pieces since it would end up cut in the food processor anyways)
1/8-1/4c olive oil
Add first 3 ingredients to a food processor. Blend until basil is broken up and nuts are chopped. Add about half the oil and blend again. Once the oil is incorporated, add the rest of the oil. If the mixture is thin after the first round of oil, do not add anymore. If it's too chunky, add more oil. I like to keep my pesto pretty chunky. I don't like adding salt to the pesto because I feel like it takes away from the basil flavor. I also don't add garlic until I am actually making a recipe. Sometimes as the garlic sits in the jar, it starts to overtake all the other flavors. I like to add minced garlic in a dish as I am adding the pesto
Add pesto to eggs, pasta, vegetables or as a topping for chicken or fish. You can really try it on anything. It's quite delicious and adds a different flavor profile to proteins or vegetables.
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