The Besto Pesto
Bowl made by Heath Ceramics.
Pesto is one of those culinary wonders that’s super versatile. You could make a quick pasta sauce, baste some chicken/fish in it, spread it in a sandwich, use it as a dip — the possibilities are endless. All you really need is good ingredients, and you could honestly make different variations of pesto. Feel free to substitute spinach for basil, walnuts for pine nuts, or pecorino for parmesan. Play around with it, but don’t get too crazy 😜
Ingredients:
4 ounce package of fresh basil (stems removed) or spinach
2 tablespoons pine nuts or walnuts
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese or pecorino romano
Steps:
In a food processor, add in the basil, nuts, and cloves, and pulse until chopped up.
Slowly drizzle in the EVOO until the pesto comes together. Don’t overprocess, or you’ll end up with a dark color.
With the motor off and the blade removed, fold in the parmesan with a rubber spatula. I like to do this part manually because the heat of the blade could melt the cheese.
Place all the pesto in a storage container, and drizzle a layer of EVOO on the top to cover completely. This will prevent the pesto from browning.
