Basil Pesto

Being a working woman in India, my mom always prepared some staples like tomato ketchup, ginger garlic paste, idli dosa batters etc every weekend to get through the work week. Likewise, I have developed a habit of making some staples over here in the US like hummus, pesto, almond butter etc that help us with our breakfast, snack/sandwich needs.

Pesto traditionally means a stone ground sauce. Basil Pesto is a combination of basil leaves ground with pine nuts and cheese blended with olive oil. Making pesto over and over again I tweaked it to my taste and texture preferences and have arrived at the below recipe which I think has the elements of earthiness, creaminess, chunkiness, tanginess and of course deliciousness 🙂

Coming to the applications of pesto- I primarily use it as a sandwich spread but other applications include but not limited to pasta sauce, baked eggs, dip, baked chicken, shrimp, beef and a lot lot more.

What do you guys make as staples on a weekend? How do you like to eat your pesto?

Preparation time	10 minutes
Serves	24
Serving Size	1 serving
Calories Per Serving	Approximately 90 per serving
Difficulty	Easy

Ingredients:

1 cup Parmesan

3 Cups tightly packed basil leaves(3 bunches)

salt to taste

1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

4 garlic cloves

1/2 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup walnuts

Procedure:

1.Place everything except olive oil in a food processor and pulse till it is coarse simultaneously adding in a steady stream of olive oil till you get the consistency you desire(coarse to smooth).

Tips:

Pesto can be stored in a dry airtight jar in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Pesto traditionally has more oil added to it, but it makes my sandwiches etc soggy, I prefer it like this but it also oxidizes faster due to lesser oil, so add according to your need.

 

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