Fresh Pesto (Pasta)

Recipe Submission By

Dan Garcia-Prats

I am not known for my culinary talents and am a bit of a lazy chef so I look for recipes that I can easily incorporate seasonal veggies throughout the year. Making fresh pesto for use in Pesto Pasta is perfect for me: a simple, quick meal that allows me to use whatever fresh veggies and meat I may have that week. I typically make a big batch of the fresh pesto to have extra that I can freeze and quickly utilize in other dishes in the future. I personally enjoy using Italian basil but the recipe can easily replace the basil 6 with parsley or, for those a little more adventurous and looking for a bit more of a kick in their pesto, mustard greens

4 Cups of Fresh Basil Leaves (Parsley or Mustard Greens may also be substituted)
4-6 Garlic Cloves (depending on size)
2/3 Cup of Pine Nuts (Walnuts or other Nuts may be substituted)
1 Cup of Olive Oil (can use more or less depending on your preferred texture profile)

Optional

1 Cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese – I typically do not add it to the initial pesto but let people add it to their pasta to their liking
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt (taste to liking)
1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper (taste to liking)

Pesto is great because it’s easy to tweak and modify to meet your personal taste, some like it chunky and others like it a little more oily, some without nuts, some like it saltier or with some pepper. Modify this recipe to meet your taste:

Add the garlic cloves, basil leaves, pine nuts and other desired ingredients (parmesan cheese, salt, pepper) to a food processor or blender. Pulse and chop in until fine and paste-like.
While the food processor or blender is running, slowly add the olive oil and keep mixing until the olive oil is mixed in completely with the other ingredients.

Freeze for Later:

You can easily freeze pesto for later use in a plastic container but it can be dicult to unfreeze and use in this larger quantity. I recommend using an ice tray
to separate the pesto into cubes that can be easily incorporated later:

Fill a clean ice tray with the fresh pesto. Pour a thin layer of oil on top to protect the pesto from direct exposure to the freezer

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