Basil Pesto

By á-24474

Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves (packed into measuring cup
• measuring cup)
• 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (choose a a flavorful olive oil for pesto)
• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 3/4 cup coarsely grated coarsely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

Step 1

Put the basil and 3-4 cloves of garlic into the food processor and process with steel blade until basil and garlic are chopped, adding 1/2 cup olive oil through the feed tube.

Add 1/2 cup pine nuts, 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice and process until well blended, about 1-2 minutes more.

(Makes about 1 1/2 cups pesto, recipe inspired by many basil pesto recipes through the years, with the idea of adding lemon juice something Kalyn has been committed to the last few years

Wash basil leaves if needed and spin dry or dry with paper towels. Put basil leaves and sliced garlic into food processor that's been fitted with the steel blade and process until basil and garlic is finely chopped, adding oil through the feed tube as you process. (You may need to take off the lid and scrape the sides with a rubber scraper if you have a hard time getting the basil all chopped.)
Add pine nuts, Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice to the chopped basil mixture and process 1-2 minutes more, until the pesto is mostly pureed and well mixed. (I like to keep it slightly chunky, but you can make it as finely pureed as you wish.)