Cooking from the Garden
Though our garden has about fizzled out for the fall, we still have basil growing strong. I cut a bunch of it over the weekend and made my first-ever pesto to put in my freezer. It was easy (key for me,) and it tastes great on sandwiches, pizza, and pasta.
Basil Pesto
- 4 cups fresh basil leaves
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
- 6 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until smooth. Freezes well in small batches in freezer-proof jars.
After doing some research, I decided not to add Parmesan cheese to it yet, because I understand that it doesn’t freeze well, but I will add some in as I thaw and use the jars.
We have two kinds of basil in the garden: sweet basil and cinnamon basil. I used the sweet basil this time, but I’ll try it with the cinnamon basil next time.
(I got the best birthday present ever last weekend . . . a freezer! My boys said that I must be getting old if I get excited about getting a freezer, but I LOVE it! Just imagine all the possibilities it will give us for meal planning!)
That pesto looks beautiful, and congrats on the freezer–I bet you will find ways, especially this time of year, to fill it up!
Pesto looks lovely and won’t you enjoy a taste of summer this winter? I’d love to have a stand-alone freezer – a great gift!
very good. hugs