I just added the gusto adjective (I don’t really do grammar… I call it poetry) because Basil Pesto brings a whole lotta gusto to so many of the foods. Where do I start on the recipes that I’ve added pesto to? I’m sure you are going to find out if you follow my blog, get the Bytes Dishrag Bulletin, or just follow my IG page. Pesto on scrambled eggs is a favorite, on chicken for a Caesar salad, on pasta (!!), on FISH of any kind pretty much (salmon, scallops, cod, etc!), pizza, steak, meatballs, etc. etc. etc. Food Network posted about 50 Things to Make With Pesto. There you go!
I can never wait until the end of summer, when I can harvest my basil plants and get the pesto going in my kitchen! I freeze my pesto in ice cube trays, then pop into freezer bags, so that all winter long I can enjoy pesto on EVERYTHING! The Autumn of ’20 was the hardest year to find pine nuts! I remember driving all over for them in fear because I’d already picked the basil. You can use any type of nut you like, such as walnuts or pistachios. I am hell bent on using pine nuts because I just like traditional pesto. During the winter months you can make small batches of pesto by buying fresh basil from your local grocer. Put a little bit of olive oil on the top of your stored pesto to keep it green longer, because it tends to turn brown on the top. But don’t let that stop you from using it! Let’s make pesto!
Basil Pesto Gusto
- February 25, 2021
- 30 min
- Print this
Ingredients
- 3 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, from ONE country... preferably Italy
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, roasted if you are lazy
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Directions
- Step 1
- Put everything except the olive oil in a food processor and pulse until it looks chopped.
- Step 2
- Gradually add in olive oil, slowly, while the food processor is running.
- Step 3
- Scrape sides off and continue to blend it until it looks like pesto.
- Step 4
- Pour into a container and enjoy on everything you can imagine.
Song for the Prep: Mambo Italiano by Dean Martin
Dean Martin was Italian and chose to cover this song, and I just love it! Rosemary Clooney’s original version made it famous, but I think Dean made it more famous. This song is just ridiculous, in that it poses various languages and some nonsense lyrics. Grab a glass of your favorite Italian wine and dance around your kitchen!
