Perfect Pesto

Submitted by Cheese Please

"This pesto recipe is not only easy and beautiful it is a great base for so many dishes. Take advantage of this basil and Italian parsley pesto on sandwiches, appetizers and pasta!"

 

• Ready In: 7mins
• Ingredients: 6
• Yields: 1 cup
• Serves: 5

ingredients

• 3 cups fresh basil
• 1 cup Italian parsley
• 1⁄2 cup pine nuts, toasted till golden
• 1⁄4 cup of freshly grated good quality parmesan cheese
• 3 large garlic cloves (or 3 tbsp of minced garlic)
• 1⁄4 cup extra virgin olive oil, add up to 3 more tablespoons if desired

directions

1. I decided to blanch my basil leaves. Blanching is great to do if you want to freeze some pesto for later, and it also brightens up the color of your pesto. It is easy to blanch - bring a pot of water to boil, and preparing a bowl of icy water. Pick a bunch of basil with kitchen tongs and immerse in the hot water for 2-3 seconds. Then submerge basil in the ice bath. Blanching basil leaves really comes down to the condition of your ingredients. If your basil looks great, is fresh and fragrant, skip this step!
2. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process for about 60 seconds.

Reviews

[flower7]

This was very good! I did make a couple small changes though. I didn't want to decimate my parsley plant so I reduced it to 1/2 cup (and added an extra 1/2 cup basil). I also doubled the parmesan and added 1/2 tsp each kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Outta Here]

I hadn't made pesto for ages and decided to try this one. Glad I did! Great taste. I have never put parsley in mine but will from now on. It gave it another layer of flavor. Great on some whole-wheat pasta! Made for Spring 2012 Pick a Chef game.