Recipe: Pesto Genovese

Gardening season is here and that means many of us have bunches of basil just begging to be used. Here is a pesto recipe perfect for turning fresh basil into a delicious addition to your meal – be it tossing some pesto Genovese on pasta, drizzling it over grilled fish, or as a sauce for pizza night!

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 tbsp pine nuts
A pinch of coarse salt
2 cups basil leaves, tightly packed
1⁄4 cup each freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Sardo (or 1⁄2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano);
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Place basil, garlic, pine nuts, and salt into a food processor blend until finely minced.
2. Slowly drizzle in olive oil into the food processor while it’s running until you have a smooth mixture.
3. Add cheese and process just long enough to fully mix it into the pesto.

Serving suggestions:

Pasta: Dilute with one to two tablespoons of pasta cooking water and toss with pasta of choice.

Fish: If you’re throwing some swordfish on the grill try finishing it with a nice drizzle of pesto.

Pizza: Spread a thin layer on your crust and add your toppings: tomato, mozzarella, chicken – you choose!

Grilled veggies: Drizzle some pesto over your veggies for an added burst of flavor.

*Recipe adapted from Saveur