Perfect Pesto

Remember back in March when I made Pesto Bread from Healthy Bread in Five Minutes A Day and I used my homemade frozen pesto.

Well, it's time to make some more.  My gardens are usually bursting with basil this time of year, and I can't make enough of it. 

Quite a few years ago when we had an abundance of basil, we made up 5 different recipes of pesto from reliable sources (Ina, Martha, among others).  This recipe won hands down in the blind taste test.  All 6 of us unanimously chose it over the other recipes.  It comes from the Foster's Market Cookbook, which is one of my all-time favorite resources.  I make batches and batches of this every summer and freeze it. I cut it in cubes and store it in freezer bags for use through out the rest of the year and then I can defrost only a large enough chunk for the recipe I'm making.  My daughters also like to raid the freezer in the dead of winter and take some back to their apartments at University after a weekend at home.

It's great on veggies, pasta, or both.  In the summer, I put the pasta on to boil and run to the garden for whatever ripe vegetables there are to be had.  Often I add leftover chicken or shrimp and I've got a complete dinner in a flash.

I use it for omelets or bread dipping.  Mix it with mayo or spread it plain on sandwiches.  One of my daughters has been caught (more than once) eating it right from the bowl with a spoon.  This pesto is so good!   It's traditional pesto; I use only pignoli or pine nuts, that I have roasted.  I've tried other recipes with walnuts and some with parsley added to the basil.  I think they dilutes the flavor and vibrancy.  Oh no, none of those other pestos will do for us!

I have not touched up the photo of the pesto.  Did you notice how vibrant and bright green it is?  It stays this color even after it's frozen.  My secret weapon?...that little white vitamin C tablet in the photo on the left.  Add it to the food processor when you add the Parmesan cheese...just one tablet per batch.  Vitamin C is just ascorbic acid (you can also add some Fruit Fresh if you have it) and it will keep the basil from darkening.  And it's good for you too!   

Another great tip...see the Parmesan rind left over after I grated my cheese (those are salt crystals on the rind, not mold and  the crystals are harmless and a normal thing on real Parmesan rinds)?

 Don't throw the rind away!  Real Parmigiana Reggiano cheese is expensive, so cut the rind into small pieces and freeze it in freezer bags.  When you are making soup, throw a frozen rind in.  The cheese will melt off the rind and into the broth.  Check the rind occasionally to see when the cheese has melted away, and then discard the waxy rind before serving.  They add great flavor to your soup. 

 Tomatoes and basil are a perfect marriage.  I use them together often.  What will you make with your pesto?

Foster’s Market Pesto

2 C. firmly packed basil leaves, washed and dried

6 garlic cloves

¾ C. extra-virgin olive oil

¼ C. roasted pine nuts

1 C. (4 oz.) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

*optional: 1 vitamin C tablet (keeps the pesto from going brown)

Place the basil in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the garlic and pulse several times to make a rough chop.

Add the olive oil in a slow steady stream down the feed tube, with the motor running. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl several times.

Add the pine nuts, Parmesan, salt, and pepper and puree about 1 minute longer until the mixture is well blended and smooth.

*(Note: If adding a vitamin C tablet, add it along with the pine nuts).

Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use or up to 2 weeks.

You can also refrigerate this in ice cube trays. After it is frozen, remove from the trays and store in freezer bags for up to 6 months. Take out only as many cubes as you need.  I freeze my pesto in Pyrex baking pans, turn it out onto a cutting board, and cut into recipe size chunks (1 Tab. measure in an ice cube tray is not enough for my recipes).

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