Last week we picked the first of our basil. I didn’t think the plants were really very big and so I wasn’t planning on cutting very much, but I came in with an overflowing bowl. We decided to make pesto for our pizza. We used the last of our frozen pesto a couple of months ago and pizza just isn’t the same with out it.
I picked 1/4 pound which doesn’t sound like much but was enough to make 4 batches of pesto. We’re well on our way to stocking our freezer for the year.
Pesto can be pretty expensive even when you make it yourself – a small bag of pine nuts sell here for $4 then add in the cost of olive oil and Parmesan and you’ve spent a pretty penny. Last year I tried making some of our batches with pecans instead of pine nuts. Guess what? No one could tell the difference. We gather our own pecans each year so that really cut the costs, but even if you had to buy the pecans they would be way cheaper than pine nuts.
Basil Pesto Recipe:
1 cup basil leaves – firmly packed
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
4-5 cloves garlic (we really like garlic, feel free to use less)
2/3 cup olive oil
Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree. Best after it has been sitting for a day or so.
Store in jar in refrigerator for a week or so. For longer storage put pesto in ice cube trays and freeze. When completely frozen remove from ice cube trays and put in zip lock bag.
The air will make the pesto turn brown so make sure that there is some oil floating on top. The oil will rise to cover the pesto, but if you notice it turning put a little oil on top of it.
Enjoy it on pizza, pasta, sandwiches, with crackers, by itself etc.
WARNING: Beware of jumping blender jars. When I was about halfway done scooping the pesto out of my blender the jar just jumped right out of my hand and shattered on the floor. I had no idea blender jars could jump!
ps: There is no finished product picture because although basil pesto is so very yummy, it’s not so photgenic.
For more delicious recipes check out Tasty Tuesday and These Chicks Cooked
Laurie says
May 31, 2011 at 3:16 pmI’ve also made it with whatever nuts I have on hand. It seems to be a very flexible recipe! Sounds great!
Rachel E. says
May 31, 2011 at 3:26 pmI love pesto. I actually make a pesto type sauce for my Caprese Salad. It is so good. I love the stuff.
Katie @ This Chick Cooks says
May 31, 2011 at 6:19 pmI loooove pesto but I have never ventured to make my own. I’m growing basil for the first time this year so I want to try out yor recipe as soon as I have some to harvest. I wanted to invite you to stop in and show off your pesto recipe at These Chicks Cooked Recipe Spotlight tomorrow (Wednesday) Have a great day 🙂
Katie
The Schneiders says
June 1, 2011 at 3:15 amLaurie: I do the same thing with other recipes too. Since there are tons of pecan trees around here and we gather them each fall, I always substitute pecans for any other nut in recipes.
Rachel: yum…I would love oyur Caprese Salad recipe.
Katie: Thanks for the invite, I’ll have to check it out.
Scuba Girl says
June 1, 2011 at 8:34 pmAlmonds are great, too! I’ve never been able to find fresh pine nuts, so I just use toasted almonds instead. Also, when your basil overfloweth in the garden, you can blend it up with olive oil, just those 2 things, and store it in the freezer. It makes spaghetti sauce taste amazing with fresh basil, especially in the winter!
The Schneiders says
June 2, 2011 at 2:30 amScuba Girl: great tips. Thanks for sharing.
Danelle says
June 21, 2013 at 12:50 pmWalnuts work in a pinch too, but since i live where pecan trees are plenty I have been harvesting ad using my own. You’re right no one can tell the difference.
Danelle says
June 21, 2013 at 12:50 pmWalnuts work in a pinch too, but since i live where pecan trees are plenty I have been harvesting ad using my own. You’re right no one can tell the difference.
Angi Schneider says
June 22, 2013 at 4:03 amI love walnuts, I bet they would be nice in pesto also. Thanks for visiting.