It's Pesto Time

The basil in the garden has been so pretty this year. No bugs! Today I decided it was time to give the basil a little hair cut and make some pesto. This recipe is from THE BEST 125 MEATLESS PASTA DISHES by Mindy Toomay and Susann Geiskopf Hadler.

Classic Basil Pesto
Yield: 1 cup

• Fresh Basil Leaves - 2 cups, firmly packed
• Olive Oil - 1/3 cup
• Pine Nuts - 1/4 cup (I use walnuts - something I seem to always have on hand.)
  
• Garlic - 6 medium cloves, chopped
• Parmesan Cheese, finely grated - 3/4 cup

Wash the basil, discard the stems, and spin dry. In a food processor or blender puree basil with 1/4 cup of the olive oil, the pine nuts, garlic, and Parmesan until thick and completely blended. With the machine running, add the remaining olive oil in a thin stream to form a smooth paste.

I think the recipe should be retitled Garlic Lovers Classic Basil Pesto! A little goes a long way, but it's simple and really good. The authors also include recipes for Rosemary Pesto, Cilantro Pesto, Oregano Pesto, Pimiento Olive Pesto, Black Olive and Tomato Pesto, Roasted Red Bell Pepper Pesto, Spinach and Cheese Pesto with Pimiento, Shiitake and Spinach Pesto with Ginger, and lastly, Dried-Tomato Pesto with Mint.

The authors have written other cookbooks including: THE BEST 125 MEATLESS MEDITERRANEAN DISHES, THE BEST 125 VEGETABLE DISHES, THE BEST 125 MEATLESS MEXICAN DISHES, THE BEST 125 MEATLESS MAIN DISHES, and THE BEST 125 MEATLESS ITALIAN DISHES. The copyright date is 1992. Every now and then I go through my cookbooks (another one of those collections that I have) and start giving them away or sending them to the used book store. I just haven't been able to part with my "BEST" cookbooks. They are little gems filled with surprises and good stuff.