The forecast is for rain tomorrow and Wednesday, so today was the day to harvest the basil crop and make pesto.
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It took a while for our basil to take off this year, but it did like the two hot spells we got and took off, producing a very good crop. Tom brought in a very big basket full.
He picked off the leaves while I assembled the other ingredients: walnuts (instead of pine nuts), Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Yes, we leave out the garlic. Sorry, all you garlic loving purists.
I stuff the food processor as full as I can with the basil, chop it up, add about a half cup of walnuts, chop, then 3/4 cup Parmesan, blend, then drizzle in the olive oil to make this slurry.
I reuse the cheese containers to store the finished pesto in the freezer.
Pesto is great on angel hair pasta with some stir fried chicken and zucchini.-
I love basil with garden tomatoes, fresh mozzarella cheese and olive oil, but unfortunately, we will be lucky to get any ripe tomatoes this year.
Wow, that looks wonderful. Unfortunately I don't have the basil, let alone the energy to make any. Sounds like it would be very delicious on a cold winter day.
ReplyDeleteYum! My mouth is watering for some pesto right now...
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful reminder that it's time to make pesto. I've been busy doing stuff with zucchini and beans and forgot all about pesto. I never seem to grow enough basil but it's really inexpensive and easy to find at farmer's markets right now.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually busy preparing for Alison's baby shower this coming weekend. She wanted a "tea" and I'm bringing cucumber sandwiches (among other things) and the cukes from the garden have been grand. The hot spell really did help. I just hope they keep coming on. I'd love to hear any great ideas you have for fixing and storing green beans???
Fun to see what's happening in your kitchen.
Stef
I am really sad that I am allergic to olive oil. It gives me the runs.
ReplyDeleteWhole olives I can eat, but not the oil, unfortunately.
And I am a garlic lover, I would miss it so much! But the rest looks awfully good, Linda. It's a beautiful and I'm sure very tasty pesto!
ReplyDeleteMmm that looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteWe won't have many ripe tomatoes this year either - a couple of hands full of ripe cherry tomatoes, but otherwise I think we'll be eating chutney and green tomato curry.
We have had the hottest summer in years!! Good for gardens as long as you keep them watered. The angel hair pasta with pesto sounds mmmm good!!
ReplyDeleteI love pesto! I freeze it in cupcake pans and then remove the pesto in its little paper holder and freeze in gallon zip lock bags. It is easy to use and if it is just Ron and I, one is perfect. Always easy to use a couple more when we have guests.
ReplyDeleteYours looks lovely. I usually use pine nuts and garlic in mine, but it is hard to find a bad pesto. I also use it on homemade pizza instead of marinara or alfredo sauce.
I make a roasted red pepper pesto that is very good. I think our basil survived not being watered. We've had the opposite problem of those in the Northwest here in middle TN, namely hot weather.
ReplyDeleteSteve K.
I don't have as much basil as you but I bet I have enough to try some pesto, I've never made it. I think I'll use pine nuts though.
ReplyDeleteyou are making me hungry-fresh basil wow how yummy
ReplyDeleteLovely looking pesto! I'll plant more basil next year to try it out.
ReplyDeleteI have an unbelievable number of green tomatoes, doing no reddening whatsoever.
A good crop of Basil Linda. Did you not have any tomatoes at all? Do you know why? - Dave
ReplyDeleteBpy, it looks like you had a good crop of Basil. I love to run my hands over the leaves and take in the aroma. Otherwise I am one of those strange ones that doesn't care for too much Basil in my food. MB
ReplyDeleteYou know I've never tried pesto. After reading this post I really ought to but I'm sure the store bought is nothing like the fresh kind. Super crop of basil you had there. I should add that I LOVE basil. Today I bought a loaf of tomato and basil bread from Panera Bread, and am always on the look out for anything with basil in it.
ReplyDeleteAn English Girl Rambles
That is absolutely amazing! We had a nice crop of basil for a while, but lately, they have not done well at all. I think our garden dirt needs to be reconditioned or something. That pesto looks fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI'm Italian and I leave out the garlic, too! I think it overpowers the taste of the basil.
ReplyDelete