Photo: Pesto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup pignolis (pine nuts)
- 3 tablespoons chopped garlic (9 cloves)
- 5 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups good olive oil
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Directions
Place the walnuts, pignolis, and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process for 15 seconds. Add the basil leaves, salt, and pepper. With the processor running, slowly pour the olive oil into the bowl through the feed tube and process until the pesto is thoroughly pureed. Add the Parmesan and puree for a minute. Use right away or store the pesto in the refrigerator or freezer with a thin film of olive oil on top.
Notes: Air is the enemy of pesto. For freezing, pack it in containers with a film of oil or plastic wrap directly on top with the air pressed out.
To clean basil, remove the leaves, swirl them in a bowl of water, and then spin them very dry in a salad spinner. Store them in a closed plastic bag with a slightly damp paper towel. As long as the leaves are dry they will stay green for several days.
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By munchabunch
San Diego,Ca.
on May 19, 2013
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I always love your cooking shows. Your recipe ideas are the bomb! so today I tried the pesto recipe. So eay so wonderful and took no time at all. BTW I no longer have a food processor and used my old not so good blender and it worked out great! The pine nuts, or indian nuts as we used to call them, are now very expensive. wish there was a less costly alternative.
By beachgalVal
on March 29, 2013
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Oh Ina, you never disappoint! This was just perfectly yummy with the right amount of garlic, basil and olive oil. It will go into my recipe box and will definitely be making it again soon.
By Glendacooking
on October 25, 2012
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Yummy! I had lots of basil this year so I thought I'd try to make my own pesto. I reserved 1/2 cup of the oil for sealing the top based on the other reviews, but I ended up adding it to mine before the jarring. Mine would have been dry without it. I guess the difference may be the 5 cups packed of basil. It's really hard to believe how much basil one can pack into a cup.
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