Pesto

My love affair with Pesto began in high school. I went to a nearby noodle restaurant where they had a delicious Pesto dish. I had never heard of Pesto before and I was feeling confident in myself that day so I decided to ask Pesto on a date. It was love at first Taste. I couldn't get enough of Pesto and we continued dating for quite some time. Little did I know that Restaurant Pesto was a fraud and shortly thereafter I would be introduced to Homemade Pesto and I knew my life would never be the same.

It was Steve's sister who first made her mother's homemade Pesto for me. Steve's mother is a phenomenal cook and so is his sister. She made it over homemade ravioli and it was to die for. The flavor of this to die for homemade Pesto was 100 times MORE than the pesto I had been having at the restaurant. Flavor is everything and I believe food should have LOADS of it. Shortly thereafter I got the recipe and now it is something I make often.

Traditional Pesto consists of Basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan and pecorino (romano) cheeses, and salt to taste. Then there are Pesto recipes that use Parsley instead of Basil. This recipe originally only calls for Basil but Steve's mom changed it slightly and she uses half Basil and half parsley. I wouldn't make it any other way.

The fun thing about Pesto is it has so many uses. Put it on Pasta, chicken, steak, fish, potatoes, bread...you name it, it's delicious! It will add more flavor to just about any meal. So here it is. Go On, Try it, you won't be sorry! ENJOY!

Pesto

Ingredients:

1 Cup Freshly Packed Basil

1 Cup Freshly Packed Parsley

1 Cup Pine Nuts

3-4 Garlic Cloves

3/4-1 Cup Olive Oil (the more you use the more runny it will be!)

1 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/4 Cup Romano Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a food processor combine basil, parsley, pine nuts, and garlic and pulse to chop. This can be done by hand but it would take a very long time.

2. Slowly add Olive Oil and mix in processor.

3. Lastly add cheese and mix. Add salt and Pepper to taste.

That's it! How easy is that! Here are a few tips

Tips:

-Make sure you really have a full cup of basil. I pack a lot of basil in my 1 cup measuring cup before putting it in. The more, the better in my opinion.

-Buy the pine nuts at some place like Cosco...you get more for your money.

- I usually make two batches at one time. I use one of the batches for the dinner I have planned and I put the other in the freezer. Just bring out to thaw.

Let me know if you tried it and what you used it on!