Do you pronounce herb with an “h” or without an “h?” Anyhoo, the first Saturday of every May is National Herb Day. To celebrate, I choose the culinary and aromatic all-star known as basil.
One of my all-time favorite recipes where basil is a key ingredient is pesto! I love Ina Garten’s recipe, so if you don’t have it readily available. Here it is:
Ingredients
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pignoli or pine nuts
3 tablespoons (9 cloves) diced garlic (I don’t use the garlic in the jar for this recipe!)
5 cups fresh basil leaves (Make sure the leaves are completely dry)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups good olive oil (Don’t skimp here!)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I buy this cheese from a cheesemonger)
Directions
This couldn’t be easier, but make sure you have a respectable food processor to do the job well.
Place walnuts, pignoli, and garlic in the food processor and whirl for 30 seconds.
Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper.
With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feeding tube and process until the pesto is completely puréed.
Add the Parmesan cheese and purée for a minute or so.
Serve immediately or this can be stored in the fridge or freezer with a small amount of olive oil on top. Scrumptious!
This recipe makes four cups. My mouth is watering just thinking about tasting this pesto and especially mixed with thick spaghetti. Yum! Need some ideas for using your pesto? Just Ask!
Fun tip: use this time at home to start your own herb garden. Which herbs would you choose?
Happy herb day!
