Fresh Pesto
June 13, 2008 by admin · Leave a Comment
I belong to a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). It is a system by which you become a “member” of a farm. You pay membership dues, and in exchange, get a weekly share of the farm’s harvest; apples, beets, lettuce, potatoes, beans, squash, eggs, etc.. It is a wonderful way to enjoy fresh, locally grown foods and to support your local farmers and economy. One of the most exciting things about belonging to a CSA is that you never know what you’re going to find when you open that week’s load, so you are encouraged to try new foods and new recipes. During the height of summer and the height of my CSA’s growing season, I found myself faced with load after load, brimming with fresh vegetables and LOTS of basil. I was forced to come up with some new recipes. This is the pesto recipe that came out of that. Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
3 cloves garlic
¼ - ½ cup pine nuts (negotiable)
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil (you can cut this half and half with chicken broth)
juice of half a lemon
2-3 cups fresh basil
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
dash of pepper (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Fill food processor with garlic, pine nuts, olive oil and lemon juice. Pulse until smooth. Add basil, parmesan cheese and salt and pepper. Pulse until well blended. Scrape down sides and pulse until smooth.
Serve on whole grain baguette slices topped with yellow bell pepper slices.
Or toss with a whole grain linguini pasta.
