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When you get to the Greenmarket and there is a bunch of basil the size of a small shrub, offered for the meager price of one dollar, staring at you there is only one thing to do. Buy it, head home and make some pesto. If you have a food processor or a blender, your best bet is to whip up as much as you can handle. It is easily frozen, allowing you to taste summer all year round.
Wash and dry your basil leaves, then place 2 tightly packed cups of basil in the food processor along with 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic, 3 tablespoons of pine nuts, a very generous pinch of salt, and 1/2 cup of olive oil. Puree until smooth. At this point, you can continue on, or freeze some for future use. We recommend using an ice tray; once your pesto cubes are frozen, put them in a ziploc bag. This way, you can defrost only what you need.
If you are continuing, add 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese and 3 tablespoons of softened butter. Mix throughly until well blended.
Pesto is delicious on pasta, in pasta salads, on tomatoes, as a spread for sandwiches, atop a piece of simply grilled fish -- the possibilities are endless.
Recipe adapted from Marcella Hazan.
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you forgot the most important ingredient: lemon juice! i like to use equal parts lemon juice and olive oil. so tangy and delicious! and healthier. i make multiple batches of pesto every summer with my fire escape basil and get LOADS of compliments. seriously. try it. lemon juice.
I like to use toasted pine nuts instead. I think it adds a little more flavor. Not sure about that lemon juice suggestion... but I'm a traditionalist and also not a fan of so-called arugula pesto and spinach pesto, etc. I just want it to taste like my father's and grandmother's did.
You can sub cheaper walnuts for the pine nuts as well
I definitely agree on the toasted pine nuts -- have never tried lemon juice but will give it a shot sometime!
The Ligurian (or Genovese) pesto is served over a small rolled pasta product called "troffie," which, believe it or not, can be purchased at the Key Food on Fifth Ave. in Park Slope (home of NYC's best British food selection, including cans of spotted dick). The Ligurians toss fresh steamed green beans and diced potatoes in their pasta.
It is a little known fact, that one of the reasons we Americans had a war of independence against the Britts is so we would never have to eat something called spotted dick
Much better if you process the parmesan together with all the other ingredients
Sorry for the ignorant question, but: Where does one acquire pine nuts?