While preparing and planting our garden this year I was quite insistent on devoting half a row to basil. It is one of my most favorite herbs since it is a tasty addition on pizzas, in pastas, sandwiches, and so much more I’m sure I’m failing to mention. As I was purveying our plentiful harvest last night, I noticed that we had a ton of basil! It was very close to going to bloom which is not a good thing if you want it to keep growing. If your basil goes to flower then it essentially stops growing and wilts away. With still a few good hot growing months left, I definitely wanted to keep my basil as long as possible.
So I brought out my trusty shears and clipped off the top half of each stalk, snipping right above where two new stems/leaves forked so it would keep growing. I then brought these fragrant green leaves inside and rinsed thoroughly. Even though we don’t use pesticides there is still plenty of dirt and, I’m sure, bugs that need to be cleaned away. I decided with all cuttings that I would make some fresh pesto for a pizza later in the week.
Pesto typically calls for basil (of course), parmesan (or other hard cheese like Asiago), olive oil, pine nuts, and salt to taste. I had none of these ingredients on hand other than the basil, olive oil, and salt. So I did what my mother taught me and improvised! I pulled out some walnuts and some aged cheddar as replacements and went to work.
I tore the leaves off the stalks and put them into my food processor along with about 2 tbsp. of olive oil, salt to taste, 1/3 cup of walnuts, and the rest of the cheese.
I pureed all of it up to saucy consistency, spooned it into a spare mason jar, and wahlah!, it’s ready for tomorrow night’s pizza creation. This will keep for 3-4 weeks in the fridge, meaning that there are surely more pesto based dishes in our future. Yummy!
