Pesto

In an attempt to use the rest of our basil from our herb garden (which was growing out of control!) we decided to make pesto. I have always wanted to make it because it can be used in so many ways for a quick meal. I've heard you can also make a large batch and freeze it in ice cube trays so you can just use a small portion at a time. We used Ina Garten's recipe, which called for both pine nuts and walnuts. I'm not a big fan of pine nuts, so we ommitted these and just doubled the walnuts instead.

Ina's Pesto

Ingredients:

1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 Tbsp. chopped garlic (9 cloves)
5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Place the walnuts, pine nuts, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.

Yield: 4 cups