| Ingredients: | ||
| 3 | Cups | Fresh (live) Basil, including the delicate stems. Remove the hard, woody stems. |
| 1/3 | Cup | Lightly Salted, Dry-Roasted Cashews. Halves and pieces are fine. Pine nuts have become a waste of money and the difference in flavor is undetectable.. |
| 1 or 2 | Ounces | Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (a block about 1/2″ x 2″ x 2″), grated |
| 2 | Cloves | Garlic |
| Extra Virgin Olive Oil | ||
| 1/2 | Teaspoon | Kosher Salt Careful! – There’s very little difference between enough salt to make it perfect and enough to make it too salty |
Basil Pesto
- Add the nuts to the food processor with a sharp metal blade and as grind finely as possible.
- Add the grated cheese and garlic cloves and process as finely as possible.
- Add the basil to the food processor and process until as finely as possible.
- With the food processor still running, add Extra Virgin Olive oil until it has the consistency of a thick sauce. If the nut/garlic/basil mixture sticks to the side of the bowl, you’ll need to stop and scrape it down to make sure it’s all mixed properly.
Notes
- This was traditionally made with pine nuts, however since pine nuts have been over $30/pound, I’ve switched to dry-roasted, lightly-salted cashews, which are about $6/pound, and nobody noticed.
- The delicate stems taste just as good as the leaves and there’s no need to waste them. Use everything except the thick, woody stems.
- Store the extra pesto in the refrigerator in a glass jar with a lid. Before refrigerating, smooth out the surface and gently float a thin layer of olive oil on top. The oil will keep air away from the pesto and will prevent it from discoloring.