I had the wonderful opportunity to cook during daylight hours today, something that doesn’t happen nearly enough in my life. As a result, I went a little photo-happy while I made some pesto. Why did I make pesto the day before Thanksgiving when I had plenty of other things to do in the kitchen? Good question. I guess because I had some sad-looking basil in the fridge that I didn’t want to let go to waste.
And because pesto is great.
2 cups roughly chopped fresh basil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
a few pinches of salt
Put it in a bowl. Add the chopped garlic. I like 4 cloves, because I like garlic. You can adjust the amount to your preference.
Add some pine nuts. If you don’t have pine nuts, you can always use walnuts.
Pour the olive oil over the whole thing. I ran out of my cheap everyday olive oil so I had to add a little of the good stuff. And man is this stuff good…
Today, for the very first time, I realized I didn’t have to dirty all 209340 pieces of my food processor. Instead, I could use an immersion blender, and I’d only have to wash TWO things! (The bowl, and the blender). Since I am without a dishwasher, this was an excellent discovery.
Look what a great job the immersion blender does!
Next, add about 1/2 cup shredded parmesan. You could use Romano instead…up to you.
Stir that in, then taste a little. It will need some salt. Add a few pinches and stir well. Taste again. Keep adding salt, pinch by pinch, and stirring, until it tastes like pesto. Trust your taste buds! You’ll know when you’ve added enough.
Wow! Thanks for the tip! I too am without a dishwasher and will definitely try making pesto with my immersion blender next time.
I am such a huge fan of pesto – it’s always so gorgeous!
I tried pesto with my immersion blender too, but mine pureed it too smooth. I like a bit of texture in my pesto. It looks like you didn’t have that problem though. Looks great!
I def need a new immersion blender! I tried using it for my pesto and it just totally sucked! Which brand is yours? Do you like?
I can eat pesto anytime of year! It’s perfect for holidays.
Thank you for sharing these great step by step photographs.