Windy Ridge's version of pesto is based on the "traditional" recipe but skinnyized a bit to make it friendlier to my hips (and butt, and tummy, and, well you get the picture.)
In Yesterday's blog post, I showed you how to trim (harvest) your basil in order to have multiple harvests from your plant.
Today, we're talking the Real Deal...
Pesto...the Sauce of Life.
First you'll need...BASIL. I need A LOT of basil to produce A LOT of pesto.
And this Cast of Characters:
Plus some Fruit Fresh *optional. (not pictured in our cast of characters because I didn't write it on my recipe card and just HAPPENED to remember I added some to each batch of last year's pesto to help keep it from getting dark.)
Step 1: Rinse your basil and set it on a towel to drip. Pull off the leaves and set aside.
Step 2: In your food processor (this Black & Decker FP1600B 8-Cup Food Processor is the one I'll get when my "vintage" processor kicks the bucket), combine:
2 cups fresh basil leaves
6 garlic cloves (peeled)
1/2 c nuts
1/4 c "powdered" Parmesan
2 T fresh Parmesan
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 t lemon juice
1/4 t fruit fresh
Step 3 : Pulse the food processor until well combined and is a thick "paste."
Step 4 : Measure 1/4 cup olive oil and 1/4 c water into a glass. Turn on the food processor and drizzle the oil/water mixture into the top "chute". Pulse a few times until the pesto mixture looks like this...
Step 5 : Once well combined, spoon into silicone muffin pans (or line "regular" muffin pans with plastic wrap to make removal possible.) Cover tightly with plastic wrap, pressing the wrap onto the pesto in the muffin pans to seal out any air.
Step 6 : Freeze until solid. Then pop out your pesto "muffins" and place in a quart sized ziploc bag for long term storage in the freezer.
Each batch makes approxmiately 1 1/2 cups of pesto.
To make these square "muffins", I used a square soap mold. It makes packing them in bags MUCH easier and reduces the ice crystalization a bit too.
The one to the right is probably more feasible for the "average" person who uses small amounts of pesto at a time. Fairly inexpensive too!
Nutrition Facts: (according to the recipe builder on myfitnesspal.com)
Serving Size - 2 T
Calories 82, Total Fat 8g, Cholestrol 2.5 mg, Sodium 160 mg, Potassium 40 mg, Total Carbs 1.5 g, Fiber 0.4 g, Protein 2 g, Vit A 4%, Vit C 2%, Calcium 4%, Iron2%
Happy pesto making!