I don’t know what happened this past summer in Northern Indiana, but my family’s normally decent-sized basil plant quadrupled in size yielding a ridiculous amount of basil. What do you do when you have an ungodly amount of basil? You make pesto. Lots and lots of pesto. Because the ingredients for this recipe are typically a bit expensive out of season, the bridge between summer and fall, when basil plants are at their peak, create a prime pesto-making period. This year, my mom had the opportunity to experiment with different pesto recipes, ultimately leading to the queen of them all. I give the below recipe two confident thumbs up as the easiest, and by far the tastiest. The great thing about pesto is that it is a classy dish that can be added to pastas, salads, sandwich spreads, or even eaten with a spoon. If you have never made pesto, I suggest you try it. It will change your life.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
3 kalamata olives, pitted and diced (*Important*)
Directions:
1) Combine the basil in with the pine nuts and olives, pulse a few times in a food processor. Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2) Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve over pasta, on a toasted baguette, or with crackers.