Mortar and Pestle With Basil Pesto Image via Wikipedia

By way of interest “pesto” is Italian for “pounded”. Traditionally pesto is prepared by using a marble mortar & pestle to grind the ingredients hence the name.

Pine Nuts Image via Wikipedia

Basil Pesto Ingredients:

• 10 Garlic Cloves
• 450 Grams (about one pound) of Freshly Destalked and Trimmed Basil Leaves
• 285 Grams (10 ounces) of Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 150 Grams (1½ Cups) of Walnut Halves
• 75 Grams (½ Cup) of Pine Nuts
• 2½ Cups of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Teaspoon of Freshly Ground Sea Salt

Basil Leaves Image via Wikipedia

Basil Pesto Method:

1. Prepare Basil Leaves – Thoroughly wash and dry the basil leaves
2. Toast Nuts – Use a dry, heavy skillet over a medium heat to toast the walnuts and the pine nuts together until they turn a nice golden brown color and give off a rich toasty aroma (around 5 to 10 minutes). Stir and toss the nuts frequently to ensure that all nuts are indeed evenly toasted. Once the nuts are satisfactorily toasted transfer them from the skillet to a baking sheet and set aside to cool.
3. Make Garlic Paste – Peel, trim and crush the garlic (using a garlic press is probably the quickest way to do this). Place the crushed garlic onto your chopping board and sprinkle one teaspoon of freshly ground sea salt on top of the newly crushed garlic. Now use a fork to further mash the crushed garlic and work it into a fine paste.
4. Puree Pesto – Set up food processor with steel blade. Transfer all of the garlic paste and ½ of the basil leaves into your food processor’s bowl and process for about 15 seconds. Add in the remaining basil leaves and process for around 10 seconds. With the food processor still running; gently and with no great haste, add the olive oil to the mixture by pouring it through the food processor’s feed tube. Continue processing the pesto until it is well and truly thoroughly pureed.
5. Add Cheese and Nuts – Add all of the finely grated Parmesan cheese and all of the toasted nuts to the pesto puree and process for another 60 seconds or so. The basil pesto is now ready for immediate use or for transfer to storage containers.
6. Yield – The above portions should yield around 4½ to 5½ cups of fresh basil pesto
7. Variations - Almonds, cashews, pecans and walnuts are often used in place of the pine nuts as well as in combination with them
8. Basil Pesto Short Term Storage – For short term storage transfer the basil pesto to a jar and add a little olive oil so that there is a thin film of olive oil covering the top of the basil pesto. This strategy is applicable to most pesto.
9. Basil Pesto Long Term Storage - For longer term storage (months not days) divide the pesto into cup sized portions and freeze. When you are ready to use the frozen pesto transfer those portions you want to use into the refrigerator to defrost.

Basil Pesto and Zuchinni Salad Roll Image by Merelymel13 via Flickr

Basil Pesto Usage Indicators:

With such a long usage history it should come as no surprise that many areas produce their own unique spin on this theme. Some of the ways in which a basil pesto is used include:

• As a sauce on pasta and sometimes in minestrone
• It may also be served as a sauce on sliced beef, tomatoes, sliced boiled potatoes, toast and sandwich filling
• As an ingredient in another dish
• As a standalone dip as well as in combination with other dip favorites such as sour cream and cream cheese
• Pizza Topping (see below)

Zuchinni, Red Onion, Garlic and Basil Pesto Pizza Image by Merelymel13 via Flickr

Do enjoy!